Phillies Acquire Joe Blanton

Excuse me as I throw up. Cardenas for Blanton?!?!? Why oh Why?!?

Well he's better than Eaton, but that's not saying much.

I guess he's an improvement, but nobody in the NL should be worried.

Lets just put this all out into perspective:
Athletics give up:
Dan Haren, Connor Robertson, Nick Swisher, Rich Harden, Chad Gaudin, Joe Blanton

Athletics land:
Carlos Gonzalez, Brett Anderson, Chris Carter, Dana Eveland, Greg Smith, Aaron Cunningham, Gio Gonzalez, Fautino De Los Santos, Ryan Sweeney, Sean Gallagher, Matt Murton, Eric Patterson, Josh Donaldson, Adrian Cardenas, Josh Outman, Matthew Spencer

Pretty, pretty good.

I'm sick to my stomach over this.

In case you thought the Harden trade was an indication Beane was slipping, this should clear that up.

Phillies got seriously ripped off...Billy Beane's still got it...

I guess when you already have Chase Utley, you can trade Utley jr. for Joe Blanton.

Cmon, Utley Jr.? I like the move for the Phillies. Blanton isn't flashy but 220+ innings at an ERA around 4.00 is really nice to have.

Looking at all the young players that the A's are getting you have to just sit back and admire Mr. Beane.

And he got a nice haul for Harden, a injury riddled player. Imagine if Mark Prior was traded for the same package. It wouldn't even be close to fair.

Ridiculous haul for a fourth starter.

Does the move from a pitcher friendly park like Oakland to the exact opposite in Philly negate the benefits of pitching in the NL versus the AL?

In other words, is Blanton going to maintain 220+ ip with an ERA around 4 in Philly?

Tim, if Blanton's ERA is somewhere within 3.8-4.2 it'll be easier to swallow. I just can't imagine it will be.

The Phils never seem to make the right move at the right time.

Why do the A's need Cardanes? They already have Mark Ellis, Eric Patterson and Jemile Weeks. Another trade has to be in the works now. Maybe Beane will move Cardanes to the outfield. I think the Phillies got the better end of this deal. They didn't move any of the prospects they didn't want to such as Carrasco, Golson, and Marson. They traded a blocked prospect in Cardanes, a good prospect in Outman, and a below average one in Spencer. I like the return of 2 top 100 prospects for Beane, but the centerpiece is blocked. OK deal for the A's, good deal for the Phillies.

BTW, I think this means that Mark Ellis will definatley not be back in Oakland next year. He may be on the trade block. I think because the Phillies are now probably out of the race for Burnett, this makes the Cradinals the front-runners.

hey guys blanton is certainly no prize but he would certainly be an upgrade for the phillies wouldnt he? plus i believe he would be under team control through next year when the phillies would also need pitching. could be bad in that ballpark though. still he has to be an upgrade. who is happ? and moyer might be aging a bit. and eaton.... seems like the phils could certainly use him. couldnt they still get another pitcher?

I guess this probably means the end for the Mark Ellis era is oakland. Tear. He's a fan fav. But then again, so was Swish and he was playing horribly until recently. The phils got an inning eater in Blanton for some premium prospects. Nice job Billy! But the phils essentially got an updated version of Don Robinson, fat man who never gets hurt, and pitches forever.

It's not that astounding. I actually think Blanton is going to be pretty solid (i.e. a high 3's, low 4's ERA and a lot of innings). Considering that none of the players they gave up were particularly special and they managed to hold on to the three prospects they probably consider to be their best (Carrasco, Golson, Marson), I think they have to be at least content with this deal.

Now obviously if you tell me that Erik Bedard could've been landed for that package then they made a mistake, but honestly if Burnett was going to cost more than this then Philly made the right choice.

Hey, how much pop does Cardenas have? I'm just wondering if we could move him over to 3rd, because that's the only spot in the minors we have zero depth at. I think this deal, really will give the A's the best system in the majors. Toping the rays just by the smallest smidge. But it is hard to ignore David Price and Tim Beckham.

Watch Ellis get traded to the Dodgers for LaRoche and Dejesus now.

"In case you thought the Harden trade was an indication Beane was slipping, this should clear that up."

I saw that as a sign that he's still the king of trades.

The A's probably have one of the deepest farms now.

The A's system is certainly revamped, I'd like to see what BA or BP has to say about their strength though.

I'm obviously biased, but I'd still take the Red Sox system over the A's. Though I agree Tampa Bay is still #1.

I'll take the over on a 5.50 era at citizens bank.

Blanton. Yuck. Phillies could have had Sabathia if they'd ponied up Carrasco plus two. Blanton will get hammered in that band box.

The A's have the deepest farm system by far now. With Longoria's promotion, and the mediocrity of Wade Davis, Jake McGee, and Desmond Jennings, the Rays no longer occupy the top spot.

Blanton ERA: 4.97
Eaton ERA: 5.00
Blanton WHIP: 1.43
Eaton WHIP: 1.49
Blanton K/9: 4.34
Eaton K/9: 4.94
Blanton BB/9: 2.61
Eaton BB/9: 3.71

I don't see a big enough difference there to warrant the Phils giving up Cardenas and Outman. Just because Cardenas is blocked by Utley does not lower his value. The Phillies only saw Cardenas' value to their organization, and sold him at that price, which was lower than other organizations value him. Now Oakland can let Mark Ellis walk and save some more money. Jemile Weeks is quite a bit farther from the majors than Cardenas.

I agree with the people who are scratching their heads on this one since I am part of them. Blanton is an OK pitcher, but none of his numbers really impress. He has only had a ERA below 3.90 once, and so far this year like it was said in the article, his k's are down and the walks are up, which is almost never a good sign. Plus he moves from a really good pitchers park, to a good hitters park along with the fact that he moves to the division with the team that leads the majors in HR's (Marlins.) Plus the Phillies were already 10th in the league in ERA. He represents an upgrade over the likes of Eaton, but how much remains to be seen.

hey tim.....how much does blanton make this year and the 2 years that we now have him under control?

Look at how much depth the A's have in pitching now. They have Dana Eveland, Greg Smith, Sean Gallagher, Gio Gonzalez, Trevor Kahill, Scott Outman, Brett Anderson, Fautino De Los Santos. Thats 8 starters for 5 spots. Their also saving a ton of money by taking Harden's 7MM and Blanton's second arb year(Probably around 6MM) off of their payroll. They will have a ton of money and a ton of young talent to use in the future. Cardanes does not have a lot of power. He has hit 4 homers this year and 9 last year. They could always package Cardanes with a pitcher for a third baseman or a shortstop.

Damn...was hoping the O's would trade for Cardenas. Thought a Daniel Cabrera/George Sherrill package would be good. Billy Beane is the best. Wish we had him. No hesitation, goes after the right guys...just amazing. That list above is incredible; a testament to his talents.

That was depression. Now comes anger. Sonofabitch! Why the $#*( didn't Andy call Pat and get US Cardenas. (@#$%&*()@&#in' moron, dumba$$, always a step behind Beane...god!!! Blanton sucks. How did that piece of dung net the top 2B prospect in the game (apologies to Chris Coughlin)? Un-friggin-believable!

I would have liked to see a Bedard, Cain, or Burnett coming to the Phils instead but they got a pitcher that is an upgrade to Adam Eaton and can eat up alot of innings(although the Phillies have arguably the best bullpen in baseball) plus they didn't have to give up much to get him, Golson, Lou Marson, and Carlos Carrasco are still in the organization and I hear there is this 2nd baseball the Phillies have by the name of Chase Utley who has like a 5-6 year contract or whatever so he isn't going anywhere soon. Not the move I was hoping for, but I can't complain too much.

Think now that he has multiple backup options at 2B any chance Beane ships Ellis and a OF to the Mets for Heilman? I know he has wanted him for awhile and the mets can't want easly or anderson at 2B until castillo comes back. Maybe Oak tosses in P prospect depending on which OF they send. Lets go with... Murton/Ellis/B grade prospect for Heilman / C grade prospect. Too much from Oak? or is this reasonable

Oh, and Joe...

Brett Anderson, TREVOR CAHILL, Gio Gonzalez, Fautino De los Santos, Henry Rodriguez (though he may move to the pen), Vin Mazzaro (top ERA on that stacked AA squad), Michael Inoa (in time), JOSH Outman, Sean Gallagher, Dana Eveland, Greg Smith, James Simmons (club's #1 DP from '07...and impressive in his debut too), Craig Italiano (maybe a stretch, but he's dominated low A and his FB is blazin'), Andrew Bailey (unheralded, but solid middle rotation innings eater type), and Dallas Braden. That's 15 pitchers for 5 spots!!! All legit prospects or youngsters who could start or eventually start for a MLB team. Who knew? You were actually UNDER-selling the job Beane's done.

I'm a Phils fan and I actually like this. We didn't have to give up Carrasco and we improved the rotation with a guy who isn't a rental. With Bedard's health in question, I'd take Blanton over him or Burnett. At least this guarantees no more Eaton!

How about Huston Street to the Red Sox for Jed Lowrie and Ryan Kalish.

...for good measure, the HITTERS he's picked up ain't bad either, with Carlos Gonzalez, Aaron Cunningham, Adrian Cardenas, Jemile Weeks, Kurt Suzuki, Landon Powell, Sean Doolitle, Travis Buck, Corey Brown, Cliff Pennington, Josh Horton, Matt Sulentic (eh...kind of), Gregorio Petit, and the kid, whose name I forget, who is tearing up Rookie Ball right now. Not as good as the pitchers, but still solid.

Eaton ERA: 5.71
Blanton ERA: 4.96

Eaton WHIP: 1.61
Blanton WHIP: 1.42

Yes definite improvement over Eaton who has a 6.00 ERA over the last 2 years. Good move for both sides.

Here is a current read out on the A's system. This does not include the players currently on the A's roster i.e. Carlos Gonzalez, Greg Smith...
Here goes:

C - Landon Powell, Josh Donaldson
1B - Sean Doolittle, Chris Carter
2B - Adrian Carvenas, Jemile Weeks
3B - ??? Still a concern
SS - Carvenas, Weeks(If they are here together they'll end up being the A's future double play combo) Cliff Pennington, and Justin Sellers
OF - Aaron Cunningham, Javi Herrera, Corey Brown, Jeremaine Mitchell, Mathew Spencer

Pitching is most definatley their Strong point

RHP - Michel Inoa, Trevor Cahill, James Simmons, Fauntino De Los Santos, Henry Rodriguez, Vin Mazzero, Craig Italiano

LHP - Gio Gonzalez, Brett Anderson, Josh Outman

That is by far the deepest system out there now.

P.S. Touchmymonkey, what the F*CK are you smoking? Why the hell would Beane trade away a B-Level prospect for Heilman? The A's bullpen is one of the best out there when healthy, so you're proposal makes no sence. A B-Level prospect is already to much for Heilman, then throw in Ellis and Murton? Seriously give me the contact info of your dealer.

I forgot Chris Carter

Wow. BB still has it.

All we need know is a good 3B prospect. I think we have everything else covered now in the farm system.

With all of this money saved from trades, including Ellis at the end of the year, do the A's go after a big bat in the off season?

I think Beane would make Heilman a starting pitcher was the rumor from a few years back on trading for Heilman. Not sure if that still holds up.

A's trade a major league pitcher that will be around for some decent prospects. Yeah hard to find a spot for a middle infielder when you have Rollins and Utley.
Trade from strength.

I don't see Ellis getting traded-I think the A's would rather have the draft pick (Ellis could be a type A free agent) than Heilman.

Neise would open the discussion door up though.

What a banal trade for the Phils! If they got Burnett, this was a guy who can strike fear in the other team's hearts. The Phillies need such a pitcher to make it to and win in the playoffs. Gillick has lost his touch. Yeah, Bedard is a headcase and is on the DL BUT at least he can be a great pitcher.Yeah, AJ has a weird contract but can pitch like a 1a. Blanton is a blah middle of the road meat and potatoes pitcher! The Phils need a strong number 2 to complements Hamels not this.Blanton is a very good 4th pitcher for the Phils,not a 2,even in the NL.What a bad trade for the Phils.

Meoveryouck, thanks for admitting your bias because Beane has just made the As the number 2 farm after the Rays. Red Sox who? The scary thing about Oakland is that they are rebuilding and faking contention all at the same time. Beane seems mercurial,but has a method to his madness. The Harden trade wasn't bad,because Hendry (who is a yahoo compared to Beane,who hires Baker after that 2002 WS debacle? a baseball gnius certainly not) might soon see Harden's fragility and Hendry is banking a trip to the World Series on this guy's back. Look the As got back a good pitcher in return and another piece or two they might trade. In essence, I think that the Cubbies got fleeced because Harden makes AJ Burnett look like Cal Ripken Jr!

Still think, as far as pitching prospects, I'd take B'more's over Oakland's or TB's, but I'm admittedly biased. Still...

1. B. Matusz (I'm assuming he signs)
2. C. Tillman (BA regularly refers to him as one of the top 5 pitching prospects in the game)
3. J. Arrieta (goin' to the Olympics! Frontline potential)
4. B. Erbe (inconsistent, but amazing arm, improved control; when he's on, there are few pitching prospects in the game that compare)
5. D. Hernandez (unheralded, but hasn't skipped a beat in Dbl A promo with 2.63 ERA and 112 K's in 91 innings or so; three good pitches)

Vs.

1. Trevor Cahill (awesome, like Tillman, regularly called one of top pitching prospects in the game)
2. Brett Anderson (slick lefty is a stud...but Matusz gets the nod on S'paws)
3. Gio Gonzalez (another top lefty, has been much better at home than on road, but over past month he's dominated everywhere. Probably gets nod over Arrieta by a little)
4. James Simmons ('07 first rounder has good control, but limited upside; mid-rotation type with shot at #2)
5. Michael Inoa (ceiling is...well, he doesn't have a ceiling, but still too young/inexperienced to say anything for sure. Track record for Latin American pitching prospects isn't good)

AND

1. David Price (with Kershaw, best pitching prospect in game)
2. Wade Davis (off year drops him behind Tillman, Cahill, Matusz, and Anderson)
3. Jeremy Hellickson (awesome at High A, tough start to Dbl A stint; small w/ durability questions; great control but limited projection- BA said it, not me)
4. Jake McGee (injury probably ensures his move to 'pen; wasn't so great before he went down)
5. Jeff Niemann (up and down at Triple A, but a solid middle rotation possibility)

I'd say TB has the best prospect of the bunch, Baltimore has the best 1-2 and 1-2-3 punch, Oakland probably has the best depth. I'm sure the A's and Rays fans disagree. Would love to hear from the impartial ones out there.

Beane is not only stocking the A's farm system with great talent, but he is cutting payroll by a large amount and freeing up many, many millions to be a major player in the free agent market in the near future. I think Beane's next target is LaRoche from the Dodgers. Its obvious the Dodgers don't want to give him a legit chance, and his potential is rotting away in the minors. Whatever holes, if any, that the A's have in the coming years can now be filled with bigger free agent signings.

I'd give the A's the edge in overall prospects, with Boston a close second. The Rays were 'hurt' by Longoria's promotion and only have Jennings (hurt and disappointing this year), Royster (just disappointing), Brignac (actually pretty impressive for his age and level), Perez (disappointing), and Jaso (disappointing, but improving), and Beckham (disappointing start, but waaaaay too soon to say anything) among position prospects. My O's only have Wieters- arguably the best position prospect in the game- Reimold, Snyder, and Rowell as serious position prospects and Rowell has been awful.

Yes milehigh, you would be right in syaing that A's and Rays fans will disagree. But that's the fun of this website, everyone's bias towards their own team. But I don't think it's fair for you to say that Inoa doesn't have a ceiling, tons of scouts said he is a once in a decade type of player, and while you may be right about latin american pitchers Inoa IS a once-in-a-decade type player. So I think that makes him a legitamite ace down the road. I think the top 5 pitchers in the A's system on talent goes like this:
1) Michel Inoa
2) Trevor Cahill
3) Gio Gonzalez
4) Brett Anderson
5) James Simmons

I would put De los Santos and Hey-Rod in there but Santos pitched like crap before TJ surgery and Rod is a reliever.

P.S. Milehigh I love your knowledge of other teams farms. It'll be nice to converse with someone who actually knows something about prospects not just in your teams systems.

Ari,

Dude, when I said Inoa doesn't have a ceiling, that's a compliment. A ceiling is a limit on how good a guy can be. By saying a guy 'has no ceiling' it means that the sky is the limit...that he could be all-time good...that there is nothing, talent-wise, holding him back. In that way, I'd agree that he's #1 in your system. I just don't think you can put a 16 year old who hasn't thrown a professional pitch ahead of other elite talents who have proven themselves against strong competition.

If- or when- Inoa shows himself to be as good as people have said, I would, of course, bump him to the front of the line...and maybe move Oakland ahead of the O's in my own personal rankings.

BTW- looking at those lists again, I still think TB has the best five, top to bottom. While I'd take both the A's and O's over the Rays on pitching depth (not that TB lacks depth; I just think the drop off is severe after Niemann), for 1-2-3, Price, Davis, and Hellickson probably get the nod over Matusz, Tillman, and Arrieta. Price definitely wins out over Matusz in the battle of the southpaw college stars; Tillman is an easy choice at the #2 slot. That means it comes down to Hellickson/Arrieta and, while Arrieta has the better pitchers body and a chance to be better as a ML'er, I think you gotta give the nod to JH at the moment.

I hate to break the optimism about the A's farm system, but every since DePodesta and Fuson left, development and drafting have been mediocre at best for the A's. Every up and comer has had some career changing arm injury. The hopes are there, but the track record is not.

Other than Brad Zeigler. Love that guy.

I'm a Sox fan and I think player-for-player, Oakland has the deepest system in the game. Just think how barren it was before the Haren trade...

Anybody suspect Outman will simply take Blanton's place in the rotation, a la Haren after the Mulder trade? Then it's like a free 2nd base prospect whilst cutting the money that would be going to Blanton.

Also, I wonder if Billy will actually try to re-sign Ellis. His defense makes pitchers like Blanton look better than they really are, which helps create trades like these. Mark Ellis's value to the team has an effect that ripples outside of however you want to evaluate his offense + defense.

Beane might have been interested in Heilman once, but since Heilman is close to FA there is no longer any interest.

Another great trade for Beane. It might still work out for the Phillies though. maybe.

Blanton is a good pitcher. Compare stats all you want but his stuff is good and he is affordable... Cardenas is good and Outman is not. I've seen the man pitch live and he's a taller randy wolf with less accuracy. He doesn't blow u away and he leaves the ball up with not amazing stuff. Matthew Spencer? lol oooooooo. But seriously ill trade a blocked unproven second baseman who is having one good year in the minors for a proven pitcher with good stuff with a very good contract any day.

Billy Beane just gets a bunch of unprovens even though i like his harden deal, but he must of forgot hes in a pennant race.. Do the A's play for the future every year??

OOO and good thing farm systems don't win world series'..lol u guys are all excited cuz u got excellent farm systems...well the phillies have a better team top to bottom. hitting, starting pitching, bullpen. lol thanx fellas for your time. lemme know when u guys try to BUY for once. It's kool, u guys sign frank thomas.lol. thats ur huge pickup.

"OOO and good thing farm systems don't win world series'"

Actually they do. Yankees dynasty was built based on their powerful farm, current Red Sox power house has been because of their farm, etc. Prospects are the main currency in baseball.

I'm saying u can only build ur farm system so much...eventually ur gonna have to win pro games. and the a's are in the hunt for the west and they sell. It always seem like they build for next year. The yankees never "sold high" on their prospects. they kept them and won. the a's sell...everyyyyy year...

Burnett has been brutal this year...he is not a 1a pitcher. His ERA is 5 and that's after 2 good starts.

Can an A's fan let me know what kind of guy Blanton is....good teammate? Thanks in advance.

This is why Beane is a genius. He trades quality players and then gets a haul in return. Some players stick, some don't. But on the whole Beane usually makes significant upgrades.

This is what drives me nuts about teams like the Astros, Baltimore, and the Giants. They all have a foundation to deal from. If they moved their top players they could rebuild their systems virtually overnight. Sure they may not be competitive in 08/09 but they could have a crop of very talented players in '10. Instead the organizations will hold on to fan favorites, come in 4th or 5th place, maintain a $70m+ payroll AND be in no better shape come '09/10.

As of right now this is how I rank all of the teams systems. This will not include players on the big-league level YES I am going to be biased:

1) Oakland A's - They entered the seson with the 2nd best system in my mind, now with these past couple of deals, they're definatley the best

2) Baltimore Orioles - Their pitching depth is undeniablely deep. But as milehigh said the position prospects aren't quite up there. Although Weiters picks up a lot of the slack.

3) Tampa Bay Rays - Holding their ground at #3, but really are only here due to the presence of Price, Beckham and Brignac.

4) Flordia Marlins - Even with Chris Volstad gone, they are still deep with Brett Sinkbeil and Ryan Tucker, along with Kyle Skipworth

5) Washington Nathionals - Aaron Crow, Chris Marrero, Ross Detwiler and Josh Smoaker could be the foundation of a new era.

6) Texas Rangers - Elvis Andrus, Max Ramirez, Neftali Feliz along with others are going to make this team a force goin into 2010 and beyond.

7) Boston Red Sox - Even with the graduation of many top talents, the system is lived on by Lars Anderson, Ryan Kalish, and Michael Bowden.

8) San Fracisco Giants - Angel Villalona, Madison Bumgarner, Tim Alderson, Buster Posey, and Rafael Rodriguez bolster what was once a laughing stock of a system.

9) Cleveland Indians - Matt LaPorta, Wes Hodges, and injury prone Adam Miller, represent great hope for the Indians

10) Millwaukee Brewers - Even with the Sabathia deal, Matt Gamel, Cole Gillapie and Jerremy Jeffress lead a still-standing strong system.

11) Atlanta Braves - Jordan Schaffer, Jason Heyward and Gorkys Hernandez represent the down of a new age in Atlanta.

12) Minnesota Twins - Joe Benson, and Ben Revere could help the Twins make a late-season push for the playoffs

13) Los Angeles Angels - Hank Konger along with Sean Rodriguez, represent the former skilled drafting teqnique of the Angels.

14) New York Yankees - Austin Jackson, Jose Tabata, Jesus Montero, and Andrew Brackman will be among the next group of superstars the Yankees bring up.

15) Cincinati Reds - Would be ranked higher if talented foreign outfielders were further along. Juan Duran and the impending signing of Yorman Rodriguez helps this system out after graduating the best hitter in the minors to the bigs

16) Los Angeles Dodgers - Scott Elbert, John McDonald, and Pedro Baez provide steady-could-be stars in a system that has been depleted by graduations and trades.

17) Arizona Diamondbacks - Jarrod Parker and Gerardo Parra represent the best hope for a system that has also been depleted through trades and graduation

18) Colorado Rockies - Christian Friedrich, Hector Gomez, and Chaz Roe should help the Rockies during their next fire sale.

19) Pittsburg Pirates - Could be higher ranked if they sign Pedro Alvarez. But he has a nice entourage to grow around with Andrew McCrutchen, Neil Walker, and Stephen Pearce

20) Kansas City Royals - Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer will be ready in 3-4 years and will rekindle the Royals powerless lineup. Until then the future is rather bleak.

21) St Louis Cardinals - As long as they keep Colby Rasmus, they can build around him, Big AL, and Brett Wallace.

22) Chicago Cubs - After dealing for Rich Harden, this system is lived on by only Josh Vitters, Jose Ceda, and Jeff Samardzija. But they are all incredibly talented

23) Philadelphia Philies - By keeping Carrasco, Golson, and Marson the Phils keep at least part of their future intact.

24) Toronto Blue Jays - Travis Snider, and the 2007 draft have kept the Jays out of the bottom 5. Cooper could be a real find in a deep 2008 draft full of 1B.

25) San Diego Padres - Matt Antonelli, Cedric Hunter, and Matt Latos, provise the only glimers of hope unless the Padres have a fire sale.

26) Chicago White Sox - Gordan Beckham, Aaron Poreda, Jose Martinez, Lance Broadway, and Kyle McCulloch.

27) Detroit Tigers - Rick Porcello and Ryan Perry provide the only resemblense of prospects, after trading away all of their building blocks to get Cabrera and Willis.

28) Seattle Mariners - After trading almost all of their top prospects away, they only have Phillepe Aumont and Carlos Truinfel who are both a ways away.

29) New York Mets - could be the worst, Fernando Martinez and Jon Niese are the only bright spots for the Mets.

30) Houston Astros - A system dried up by years of trades and poor drafts gets them to the bottom of the barrel. Hopefully Jason Castro can move quickly.

Whew!!!!!!!! That was long. Yes I realize you might dis agree, this is just my take on the teams systems at this point

greatone91569:

How far did the Phil's get in 06?

The A's made it to the ALCS, then fell apart in 07.

Beane plays to win, and for the future. But he successfuly does both at the same time. He didn't see (with what he had) winning the division this year so he dealt Haren/Swish.

He didn't see Harden holding up (even if he did, he would opt for FA next fall), so he got what he could.

He didn't have enough, so he felt a rebuilding process was necessary. In JUST half of a major league season, he has successfully restocked the farm to one of the best in the league.

Despite his trades, the A's surprised everybody by still contending, but Beane knows that we still don't have enough to win the World Series, unless we pulled off an 03 Marlins type of run.

Hence, he still sells high when he can.

That is why the A's seem to be building for the future, but in reality, the rebuilding technically started 6 months ago and it is going off without a hitch so far. And the A's are still 7 games over .500.

BRIAN2706:

Blanton seems like a great teammate. Also, you can attribute his .496 ERA to the 5th inning. If you eliminated the 1 worst inning from every one of his starts, his ERA would look like Duchscherer's.

His downfall is he starts grooving it when he gets in trouble, and he doesn't have the fastball to do that. He needs to be better at damage control, and his walks will go down and his ERA will follow. But when he is on he is great. I remember seeing a silly stat a year ago about his record in games with more than 2 runs of support, something like 1 or 2 losses in 37 career games (obviouly before this season). But he is still a very solid middle of the rotation guy. Just wait until you see him mow down a line up on a good day.

All in all, I think the league switch will off set the ballpark change.
I'll miss him, but the A's could replace him with just about anybody this season and still have the same record.

But he will turn it around.

I think this trade works great for both teams.

Ok, another A's move. How about they make yet another one, deal Duchsherer to the Yankees for Marquez, Angelini and Chase Wright! Then the Yankees can deal Melky, Hawkins, Horne, Cody Ehlers for Bay and Marte!

The a's made the ALCS in '06..lol wow u got me there. Who did they acquire that year? jason kendall? nice pickup. atleast the phils try and win. Just imagine this year's team with harden haren and blanton. coulda been something....

Blanton is a solid pitcher and thats all the Phils expected. The A's will most likely benefit the most from this deal. The A's are doing great with what they got so the next couple years should be interesting. Honestly I say sell Dusherer, and Houston Street. I mean if they dealt both of those players they could achieve a ridiculously great farm system.

Ari,

Max Ramirez is currently the Rangers starting catcher

Thanks, dtown! I really appreciate the info.

greatone
ever hear of dealing from the top? Harden is an injury prone pitcher who is lights out when healthy. problem is...the healthy part doesn't happen very often.

all in all...the cubs severly overpaid for harden. four years from now...cubs will sell their farm to beane again to get marshall back as a lights out number 2 for a second half push for their first world series in 104 years.

Marshall is already effectively in the rotation, murton is going to be used as a trading piece, and patterson has high ceiling. then he gets a catcher on chance that he can develop one of the most unavailable positions.

I am not an A's fan but i know that they made out like a bandit on the harden deal

Neftali Feliz, Eric Hurley, Matt Harrison, Blake Beavan, Michael Main, Neil Ramirez, Tommy Hunter, Derek Holland, Wilmer Font, Martin Perez, Thomas Diamond, Kasey Kiker, Omar Poveda, Fabio Castillo, Carlos Pimental, Tim Murphy, Richard Bleier, Wilfredo Boscan, Robbie Ross, Brandon McCarthy

I like the A's group because of how many guys are already at the MLB level or close...but in 2 years, give me the group above for sure.

"How about Huston Street to the Red Sox for Jed Lowrie and Ryan Kalish."

I'd shoot Theo in the face during the '08 World Series winning parade.

I'm okay with this deal for the Phils. I've read that Cardenas' defense at 2B is marginal; he certainly can't handle SS, and may well end up at 1B by the time he makes the majors. He certainly wasn't going to displace Utley or Howard, so his future was going to be elsewhere. Outman's stock has been slipping the last year or so.

I'm not convinced Gillick is done shopping yet. If Bedard is healthy in his next start or two, I wouldn't be shocked to see him headed to Philly - perhaps with Blanton (whose put-it-in-play style fits Safeco like a glove) going back to the AL in the deal.

"Whew!!!!!!!! That was long. Yes I realize you might dis agree, this is just my take on the teams systems at this point

Posted by: AriGoldisaG | July 17, 2008 at 09:31 PM"

I disagree.

This website sucks

YES, it finally let me post something without continually bringing me to a screen saying there was a registration error, without telling me where my registration error is (regardless of the fact I have been registered for weeks). I tried to post a comment about 19 times, I guess it finally like the "this website sucks" post

Coltholt, Gallagher went to the A's. Marshall is in the Cubs bullpen.

"deal Duchsherer to the Yankees for Marquez, Angelini and Chase Wright! Then the Yankees can deal Melky, Hawkins, Horne, Cody Ehlers for Bay and Marte!"

I feel sorry for knowledgeable yankee fans. This is what makes you look bad.

"YES, it finally let me post something without continually bringing me to a screen saying there was a registration error, without telling me where my registration error is (regardless of the fact I have been registered for weeks). I tried to post a comment about 19 times, I guess it finally like the "this website sucks" post"

Odds are you were swearing, or maybe the website just knew you weren't that interesting.

[extremely abbreviated second attempt at posting something worthwhile on this terrible website]

The A's have a ton of trade bait to land a bat, such as Matt Holiday, and have saved enough money that he would be affordable. They could even attempt to resign him. A young right handed power hitting OF would make this team dominant for the next five years.

Take the worth of this site as you will, but wwww.thebaseballhub.com

This is the number of prospects in the top 100, plus those that just missed the cut (top player in parentheses)

Oakland-13-Trevor Cahill (6)
Boston-7-Lars Anderson (27)
Milwaukee-6-Jeremy Jeffress (11)
Tampa Bay-6-David Price (3)
San Diego-5-Chase Headley(10)
San Francisco-5-Madison Bumgarner (16)
Cleveland-5-Matt LaPorta(2)
Toronto-5-Travis Snider(30)
Florida-5-Cameron Maybin(14)
St. Louis-5-Brett Wallace(18)

Also,
Baltimore-4-Matt Wieters(1)
Texas-4-Neftali Perez(5)

That's pretty overwhelming in Oakland's favor.

Nah, I swore in the most recent post, and it told me the post was being reviewed, so I change the curse word. Before it continually said "registration error" and asked for my username, email, and url.

Terrible trade. Clearly, the Phils are panicking in response to the streaking Mets.

Whether a top prospect is blocked or not, you don't give him away to pick up a #4 pitcher. I don't even think Blanton for Cardenas straight up would have been a good deal.

I can't imagine the Phillies players are all that excited about picking up a hurler with a 5-12 record.

Blanton isn't exactly a #4 pitcher in the Phillies rotation.

"Odds are you were swearing, or maybe the website just knew you weren't that interesting"

... funny.. but nah, because for 3 days or so type key would not let me post anything at all, even little 5 word posts with no profanity in them. It was extremely annoying because I havent got a clue why it kept stopping my posts going through. I too was getting the same registration required crap as the other guy. Typekey definitely blows.

As for the trade, I love it if for no other reason then I do not have to hear Buster Olney come up with another Joe Blanton to the Mets rumor ever again. We can put that stuff to rest. Good luck with Fat Joe playing in that little league field. What ever happened to Joe Blanton being a top notch starting pitcher and being a number 2 on the Mets? Guess that ship has sailed, but one thing is for certain, he is definitely the number 2 for the Phils. If Brett Myers can regain his form, then all of the sudden this rotation of Hamels/Myers/Blanton/Kendrick/Moyer doesn't look nearly as bad. But if Myers continues to stink it up the Mets take the east going away.

Blanton slots in as the Phils' #2 starter right now, sliding back to #3 if the '06/'07 Brett Myers comes back from Reading instead of the '08 model. He's not an ace, but this is a guy who has managed to average 14 wins per season the last 3 years. He keeps the ball in the park reasonably well, takes the ball every fifth day and pitches into the 7th or 8th inning in most of his starts (7+ IP in 19 of 34 starts last year). That would be a *huge* help to the Phils' bullpen, especially with Flash Gordon's arm hanging on with duct tape and chewing gum.

I like this deal a lot for both teams.

greatone, you're an idiot. The A's got Jason Kendall in the winter before the 2005 season. The A's didn't make any deals on the 2006 deadline. Seriously Blanton is good, nothing more. If you think that's what is going to put you're phils over the top then you're on some seriously strong sh!t. I personaly think the mets will somehow pull off a way to win the NL East.

The a's made the ALCS in '06..lol wow u got me there. Who did they acquire that year? jason kendall? nice pickup. atleast the phils try and win. Just imagine this year's team with harden haren and blanton. coulda been something....

Posted by: greatone91569 | July 17, 2008 at 09:53 PM

The Phillies wouldn't have had the prospects to get that done if they multiplied their farm by 3. Don't be insane.

Keep in mind that although the AL has the DH, it is much easier to eat innings in the AL because it is not real baseball and the manager never has to worry about pinch hitting for everybody. It is harder to pitch deep into games consistently in the NL because if it is close you are going to be hit for. And while Texas can mash, the Angels and M's offenses dont exactly intimidate, do they? I could see Blanton being okay for Philly, but I can also see things going south in a hurry.

I don't know how I feel about Joe Blanton. In three of his last five starts (for an above .500 team, no less) he's given up six or more earned runs. He is now moving into the bandbox in Philly and that has to impact his numbers all around. The only positives I could get out of this trade for the Phillies is that they needed a starter pretty badly, at least he won't be a rental, and perhaps he is an upgrade over guys like Kyle Kendrick and Adam Eaton. That's about all I could think of right now. As a Mets fan I'm not necessarily scared of Blanton, because I never understand the constant praise of 200-inning pitchers. That was the praise of Carlos Silva, and look where he is right now! If it's 200 mediocre innings, is it really that much of a compliment?

And by the way, since the A's have more than enough firepower to get an all-star player without their system even being affected at all, is it possible that Beane goes out and gets a Matt Holliday or Jason Bay? I don't think it would make that much of a difference for the A's because their system is so freakin stacked at this point.

The Baseball Hub is not a very realiable source..For instance it has Yonder Alonso, Gordon Beckham, and Brett Wallace above Colby Rasmus and Alonso and Wallace in front of Clayton Kershaw...That is no way to judge an organization's farm depth...

I also think the Braves have a better farm system than suggested...Jason Heyward, Jordan Schafer, Gorkys Hernandez, Jeff Locke, Cole Rohrbough, Julio Teheran, and Freddie Freeman make up a system loaded with potential in their own rights..

Texas Rangers:
Ca- Taylor Teagarden, Cristian Santana

1B- Justin Smoak

2B- German Duran, Jose Vallejo

SS- Elvis Andrus, Marcus Lemon, Joaquin Arias

3B- John Whittleman, German Duran, Matt West

OF- Julio Borbon, Engel Beltre, John Mayberry Jr.

RHP- Neftali Feliz, Blake Beavan, Michael Main, Tommy Hunter, Neil Ramirez, Omar Poveda, Thomas Diamond, Kennil Gomez, Wilmer Font, Wilfredo Boscan, Carlos Pimental, Fabio Castillo

LHP- Kasey Kiker, Robbie Ross, Derek Holland, Martin Perez, Beau Jones

With Chris Davis, Max Ramirez, Brandon Boggs, Eric Hurley, Matt Harrison, Warner Madrigal, Brandon McCarthy, Jarrod Saltalamacchia all at the major league level.

The Rangers have more depth and better players everywhere except 2nd Base and are fairly even with the A's in terms of pitching...the main difference being the top Ranger arms are at lower levels of the minors. However Neftali Feliz trumps anything the A's have.

"The a's made the ALCS in '06..lol wow u got me there. Who did they acquire that year? jason kendall? nice pickup. atleast the phils try and win. Just imagine this year's team with harden haren and blanton. coulda been something...."

Posted by: greatone91569 |

Yeah, imagine if they had all of those players. They would be worse off than they are right now. They have the best ERA in baseball. How can you do better than that?

Now that Blanton is dealt, the ERA will only get better. Blanton was the weak link the rotation. Gallagher will be a little worse than Harden, but anybody taking Blanton's spot will be a lot better. I hope that Gio Gonzalez gets called up after throwing three consecutive 1 hitters.

And by the way that Kendall trade didn't work out, but he was a career .300 hitter at the time.

Has any GM in the the learned to AVOID DEALS WITH BEANE AT ALL COSTS? Pat Gillick just got swindled. lmao.

Hey Colletti!

Its Beane, i have this guy named DuckShire he's a 2 time all star and he's in his 30's, i know you like older players. he leads the mlb in era. we'll also throw in a former AL ROY in Crosby

just give me 5 or 6 prospects and we'll get this deal done by the weekend so you can relax

"The a's made the ALCS in '06..lol wow u got me there. Who did they acquire that year? jason kendall? nice pickup. atleast the phils try and win. Just imagine this year's team with harden haren and blanton. coulda been something...."

Posted by: greatone91569 | July 17, 2008 at 09:53 PM

Okay, the point I was making in the 06 ALCS remark was that Beane doesn't always play for the future, it was not that the A's are better than the Phillies (hence all my points below that phrase that you ignored.)

The reason the Phil's may go after bigger names COULD be because of a small detail called payroll. You don't see Beane making moves for big name guys (and "trying to win") because that's not the way his system works.

Also, you are suggesting that our pitching staff might be better with those 3 guys?

It's already one of the best in baseball without Blanton and Haren. (Harden makes any staff better if healthy, I'll give you that.)

But you're bringing up a false point, because those players don't improve on what the still-current A's pitchers have already accomplished this season, and as a plus we now have a total of 13 prospects for them.

And by the way, Kendall was with Oakland from the beginning of 06.

His offense definitely stunk, but he was the MAIN reason for the success of Oakland's pitching staff that year. Look at Haren's stats post-Kendall-trade. (horrendous, and we still got 6 legit spex for him!)

There is more value in a catcher than just his offensive production.

Luckily Suzuki has filled his shoes quite nicely, as well as providimng some nice offense.

arly2380:

Haha, nice!

Here is what you can expect from Joe Blanton:

1)extremely quick worker
2)at least 5 quality innings per start
3)3-5 strikeouts per start
4)2-3 walks per start
5)200+ innings per season
6)quite a few 1-2-3 innings

Hopefully, Billy Beane continues to trade. Would love to see Huston Street go? Maybe the trading of higher end(according to A's standards) salaries will make it possible to get that right handed power hitting outfielder the A's have been looking for years. Matt Holliday, anyone?

In Billy Beane we trust.

"all in all...the cubs severly overpaid for harden. four years from now...cubs will sell their farm to beane again to get marshall back as a lights out number 2 for a second half push for their first world series in 104 years.

Marshall is already effectively in the rotation, murton is going to be used as a trading piece, and patterson has high ceiling. then he gets a catcher on chance that he can develop one of the most unavailable positions.

I am not an A's fan but i know that they made out like a bandit on the harden deal"

"In essence, I think that the Cubbies got fleeced"

I can't believe people actually post this crap. Really? Cubs got fleeced? Cubs will sell the farm to get Marshall? Come on...you embarrass yourself.

yes i dont think the cubs got a bad deal at all. its a classic boom/bust move but if u want to give yourself the best chance of winning it all, thats what u do. gallagher is good but harden is locked up next year too. getting a guy like blanton is ok because u basically know what u r going to get but seriously blanton in the playoffs? that doesnt scare me. harden does scare me.

The A's have done a nice job rebuilding that rotation. Next year, that rotation may include Gio Gonzalez, Sean Gallagher, Brett Anderson and possibly Josh Outman (assuming they make him a starter again). None of these guys were in the A's organization last year. As for the Phillies, there's nothing wrong with picking up an innings eater who can win a few games down the stretch. They were close to winning it last year. This moves them a little closer. Cardenas is a nice player but he's in A ball, hasn't been a good defensive player and may even wind up in the OF eventually -- where his bat becomes less of a plus. It seems like fair risk on both sides to me.

JOSH OUTMAN is trash...lol how come no1 listens? he will never be in the show and if he does make it will be short lived. Cardenas is good but i mean hes batting 309 with 4 HR's in double A. Not like hes hitting for power. I mean he could down the road. Alls I'm saying is that Oakland never bought during the deadline. The Jason Kendall thing was just for say that they never went out and got a player to actually really impact their team like a Sabathia, Harden, and believe it or not Blanton. With the Phillies getting Blanton, us Philly fans do not have to watch Adam Eaton pitch every 5 days and r offense can score 10 runs a game. Blanton might get used to that and not have to work as hard on the mound. Before the season started Beane wanted the farm for Blanton. The Phillies gdidn't have to give up their 1,2, or 3 best prospects to get him and we still might not be done. Burnett or Bedard could be next. DOubt it but it could happen. With that being said, the A's got what they always get. A or AA prospects that project to be good in a few years. Well we're gonna try and win now and in Philly u have to. We look to win every year. Nothing disgusts Phillies fans more than "selling" for the future.

Beane is not the best GM,maybe the best at getting rid of players and fooling other GMs but no better. Where is all the hype for Beinfest/Dombrowski's 2003 Marlins , they won it all! The Twins as an organization are always competitive, are not media darlings and have beaten the As in the playoffs! They are not a big market team either and have an owner that is notoriuosly mindful of too much money being spent. BTW Beane was hired by the Red Sox right before Theo and was to be paid 2.3 million dollars a year! In the end, he didn't take the job because of the control. Could you imagine Beane trading sacred cows like Manny and Ortiz for the future's sake?

All that being said Beane has transformed this team literally overnight into a team brimming full of prospects. Beane deserves a lot of credit for this BUT his assertion that the playoffs is a crap shoot is a farce. It is? I'm no Boston fan, but look at the way that 2004 team was constructed relative to the Yanks for the playoffs. Kenny William's offbeat restructing of the 2005 White Sox gave them pitching and defense which resulted in a strong post season. There are no guarantees in baseball even in the regular season look at this year's Indians and Mariners as an example of that BUT certain teams are better constructed for the post season and the As haven't been one of them.

I wouldn't be upset if the Phils simply cut Eaton outright. I don't even want to see him in our pen.

I'm hopeful a change in scenery does Blanton a lot of good.

Losing Cardenas hurts regardless of his position. He's a bigger chip than Carrasco imo. I fully expected Utley to shift to first for Cardenas, when we do part ways with Howard.

As for AJ Burnett, no one mentions this but aren't the Rangers the best fit? Best hitting in majors, worst pitching, and a good farm system, and not far out of contention.

Joe Blanton is not having that good of year, but he is a good pick up. Yeah he doesn't have his number from last year but you put him on a better tean he is likely to get better.

07 Blanton- 14-10 3.95 ERA 140 SO 230.0 IP

08- 5-12 4.96 ERA 62 SO 127.0 IP

and Phillies fans are complaining? You have him under contract for 09 and 2010. Also, their is still another 81 games to go he could change it around. And Hamels Blanton combo isn't that bad sounding.

I read an article about Beane considering leaving when his current contract is up in a couple years. I think the link was from this site. It could mean anything from a negotiation posture or he had a bad day when he gave the interview or the reporter placed a spin on the article.

Regardless, Beane is setting up the team with a nice bunch of players coming up if he is indeed leaving. I don't buy it that he's leaving. Plus players they drafted has ranked the A's near the top before these recent trades. I can see a nice raise for Beane coming.

Eric Patterson could also play OF all three positions out their so if Weeks and Cardenas are up the 2B and SS of the future Patterson could be the LF for them because I don't think Murton will stay for long and Emil Brown will not be resigned.

Next year maybe look like this
SP- Justin Duscherer
SP- Dana Eveland
SP- Greg Smith
SP- Sean Gallagher
SP- Gio Gonzalez

1B- Daric Barton
2B- Eric Patterson
3B- Eric Chavez
SS- Bobby Crosby
RF- Travis Buck
CF- Carlos Gonzalez
LF- Ryan Sweeney/ Matt Murton

ARodSucks- since no one else said it...the shoot Theo in the face comment was funny as poo.

Steve B- Not sure if I'd put Texas #1, but you're right to bring them into the conversation. They've got a helluva system and, since I'm inclined to include ALL young players, prospects or pros (ML'ers, I should say) in such a discussion, the Rangers are stacked. Top 5 no doubt. Still, I'm not ready to have them jump the A's or O's in terms of established talent. Kiker, Main, Beaven... Once the youngsters start hitting Double A (or even High A in many cases) and dominating...? Well, then you may have the #1 crop of kids (I am a big fan of that kid GM of yours...guy's been terrific, by and large)

The Cubs did NOT get fleeced for Harden and, as several people have noted, the A's got Sean GALLAGHER, not Marshall. Chicago picked up a guy who- when healthy- is a legit #1. They gave up a solid middle of the rotation pitcher, a journeyman 4th OFer, a AAAA 2B (sorry, but if Patterson ever produces consistently at the Major League level, I'll eat my hat), and a decent catching prospect...in the midst of an awful season. Simply put, when you take into account Harden's ceiling and the prospect base the Cubs were working with to begin with...they COULDN'T get fleeced.

To the dude railing against Outman and the other kid: your Phils got a crappy pitcher and gave up arguably the best second base prospect in the game. Forget Outman. Forget the 3rd rounder from '07...its all about Cardenas...and he's gonna be a very good pro 2B. The reason everyone is railing about the deal is that, for Cardenas, you should have gotten something better than a #4 who can eat innings and provide a 5.00 ERA.

That BaseballHub site is a joke. Jeremy Jeffress is the 11th ranked prospect in the game?!!! Brett Wallace is 18th?!! San Diego and Toronto are top 10 ranked systems?! Ridiculous. (and that's coming from an O's fan appreciative of them putting Wieters No. 1 overall...even if I don't think he deserves to be over Price or Kershaw).

Yanks26- you really are dumb. Those proposals are absurdly weighted toward the Yankees and would NEVER happen. Even Ned Colletti and Bill Bavasi, working in tandem would tell Cashman to shove it!

...and yes, Ducherer (or however you spell it) and Street are next. I wouldn't put anything past Beane anymore. Could he add LaRoche, JAMES McDonald (sorry, but I gotta correct ya Ari) or Andrew Lambo from the Dodgers for Street? Nab an AJax, Tabata, or Kennedy for the Duke? Like I said...wouldn't put anything past Beane. I hope studio is right and he leaves after his contract his up...I'd love for the O's to hire him! LOL

"Could you imagine Beane trading sacred cows like Manny and Ortiz for the future's sake?"

Could you imagine what Beane could do with a massive payroll?