Boston expects pitching stalwart John Smoltz’s right shoulder to round into shape by late spring so the former Braves star could pump up Red Sox fans with his exploits on the mound. Smoltz missed most of last season.

AP / Eric Gay

Little by little, and not exactly the way it was planned, the pieces are starting to fall into place for the 2009 Red Sox.

The team came into the season needing a catcher, depth in the rotation, depth in the bullpen, a fourth outfielder, and perhaps a long-term solution at shortstop.

The catching situation, of course, remains unresolved. And yes, the Red Sox missed out on Mark Teixeira. But with the additions yesterday of outfielder Rocco Baldelli and Hall of Fame-bound pitcher John Smoltz, the team is building quality depth that any club would be envious of.

Smoltz, whose signing has not yet been officially announced, joins catcher Josh Bard, starter Brad Penny, and reliever Ramon Ramirez as new faces in the clubhouse.

General manager Theo Epstein’s approach has always been to add quality, midpriced talent with high potential –– perhaps at a bargain because of a previous injury –– and hope some of those players break out. It worked wonderfully with David Ortiz, Bill Mueller, and Kevin Millar in Epstein’s first season.

Now, he hopes to strike gold again with Baldelli and Penny, and see if Smoltz can offer his usual excellence when he comes back in the late spring. And Epstein was quick to note that he still has irons in the fire.

“We still have a few things going on. It’s still a long time before the first day of spring training,” Epstein said.

The Baldelli and Penny signings in particular are classic Epstein, trying to get great value on a player who some teams may avoid because of injury risk. The Red Sox, financially, can afford to take that risk, while most other teams cannot. But they also can reap those rewards.

“Because of Rocco’s health situation maybe he kind of fell to us, where on the days that he plays he could be an impact player,” manager Terry Francona said.

Francona, more than anyone, is happy that he is starting to know what tools he will have to work with this year. At the same time, he empathized with those who wonder about the team’s uncertain catching situation. But patience can often lead to the best possible team.

“It is exciting to start seeing some pieces come together. I think as a fan, you want the team to be put together right now –– and it’s just not realistic.”

While the team is excited to have Bard, but they know they need another backstop, either to start full-time or to platoon with Bard.

Bringing back Jason Varitek is still a possibility, but the rest of the free-agent market is devoid of big names, so a trade for a catcher may still be possible.

Acquiring Penny and Smoltz may be a step in that direction: acquiring the pitchers may make pitching prospect Clay Buchholz more expendable –– the catching-rich Texas Rangers have long coveted him –– and the Red Sox could solve their catching problems by dealing away the 24-year-old.

“Obviously we need to get a catcher,” Francona acknowledged.

That said, Francona was bullish on Bard’s chances in his second tour of duty in Boston.

“I’ve had some interesting conversations with him over the last couple weeks. Some really honest conversations. And I think he feels much better prepared to handle his second time in Boston. We got him because we thought he’d be a great backup –– and I think he proved it when he left us,” Francona said.

At shortstop, the Red Sox tried to obtain Florida star Hanley Ramirez in a trade, but will now probably go into the regular season with Jed Lowrie starting and Julio Lugo spelling him. The team has also added utility man Nick Green for infield depth.

Smoltz, 41, could be the most interesting addition for the team.

Smoltz’s signing has not been officially announced by the Red Sox, and so neither Francona nor Epstein would comment on the pitcher.

But Smoltz is already saying his goodbyes in Atlanta, and longtime teammate Chipper Jones has spoken about how Smoltz will fare in Boston. Epstein, while dancing around the subject, made it clear that when he can talk about it, he will be crowing about the impact the veteran might have.

“Some of these things we have going on I can’t talk about,” Epstein said. “I’ll be happy to talk about them when they come, but there are a lot of exciting things happening.”

The team has reportedly signed Smoltz to a one-year, $5.5-million contract. He is rehabilitating from major shoulder surgery, but he should be able to return to the mound by late spring.

Smoltz has excelled as both a starter and a reliever over his 21-year career –– he is the only pitcher with 200 wins and 150 saves –– but he is expected to start in Boston, joining Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Penny, and Tim Wakefield as starting options. Smoltz is by far the biggest-name signing for Boston, after an offseason when all the plaudits have gone to the New York Yankees for the signings they have made.

The Yankees, who missed the playoffs for the first time in 14 years, spent nearly $423.5 million on standouts CC Sabathia, Teixeira and A.J. Burnett. Francona recalled that when the season ended he had joked that the Yankees might spend a billion dollars this offseason to ensure they returned to the playoffs this year

“I was like half-right,” he laughed. “They spent a lot of money and they got a lot of good players. And it doesn’t make our job easier.”

“Saying that, we’ve gone toe to toe with them really well. Our division is a monster. We beat up on each other, and we will continue to do that,” Francona said.

dbarbari@projo.com