John Smoltz returned to Atlanta yesterday to make it clear he'll always cherish the city that has been his home since 1988.

"Twenty-two years is a long time and I don't think you ever take it for granted and I never will," he said.

But the pitcher said Braves management took him for granted this offseason, and that helped push him to accept a $5.5 million, one-year contract from the Boston Red Sox as he recovers from major shoulder surgery.

"They had a plan," Smoltz said of the Red Sox, "and the plan here was, 'We just always assumed he wouldn't leave.' "

The 41-year-old Smoltz was back in Atlanta one day after his first news conference in Boston. He said the offers between the Braves and Red Sox were "not even close" and said the performance bonuses that pushed the potential value of Atlanta's offer close to $10 million "were impossible" to reach.

"In all my greatest accomplishments, I couldn't have reached what they were talking about," he said. "It sounds good. The numbers sound good. It sounds like, 'Oh, they're close. Why would he leave?' "

Smoltz said "we wouldn't be having this discussion" if the Braves' offer had been close to Boston's.

"I have no ill feelings toward anybody or harbor any bitterness," he said. "I want the Braves to go to the World Series and certainly now I want them to play against the Boston Red Sox and then let fate take care of the rest after that."

ELSEWHERE

Angels: The Los Angeles Angels avoided arbitration with versatile Chone Figgins by agreeing yesterday to a $5,775,000, one-year contract with the team's career stolen base leader. Figgins, who turns 31 next week, hit .276 with one homer and 22 RBIs in 116 games with the Angels last season. He also stole a team-leading 34 bases, raising his career total to 238.

Dodgers: Guillermo Mota and the Dodgers finalized a one-year, $2.35 million contract yesterday to bring the reliever back to Los Angeles. The 35-year-old right-hander went 5-6 with one save and a 4.11 ERA in 58 games for Milwaukee last season.

Mets: Johan Santana is unsure whether he'll be able to pitch in the World Baseball Classic following offseason knee surgery.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner said yesterday he'd love to play for his native Venezuela in March, but the New York Mets will determine whether to clear him for the WBC.

"My mind is set to play, but at this point I don't know what is going to happen with the medical staff and the team. They have a lot to protect," he said.