Joe Blanton Rumors

Don't Expect Phillies to Pick Up a Bat

There are two factors working against the Philadelphia Phillies picking up a bat, even with Raul Ibanez sidelined with a groin injury, Jimmy Rollins languishing in the low .200s, and a three-game sweep by the Blue Jays now complete. First is that the Phils may have that replacement bat during Ibanez's recovery in John Mayberry Jr., who homered Thursday afternoon. Mayberry posted an .808 OPS during 210 Triple-A plate appearances in 2009, suggesting he can be an adequate bat in Ibanez's absence. But the bigger issue is the Phillies will need to save their prospects for a deal or deals...   Continue Reading

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Phillies Avoid Arb With Victorino, Blanton

4:45pm: Todd Zolecki says the Phils signed Joe Blanton for $5.475MM. 1:19pm: According to CSN Philly, the Phillies avoided arbitration with outfielder Shane Victorino by signing him for '09. The Philadelphia Daily News says he'll get $3.125MM.   Continue Reading

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Phillies Arb: Howard, Victorino, Werth

In addition to backing up the facts behind today's Cole Hamels story, Todd Zolecki has an update on the Phillies' remaining arbitration-eligible players. After Greg Dobbs' 2-year, $2.5MM deal, six players are left on the arb list: Ryan Howard, Ryan Madson, Shane Victorino, Joe Blanton, Jayson Werth and Chad Durbin. According to Zolecki, "The Phillies have been talking with Madson about a contract extension, but he reportedly turned down a three-year, $12 million offer." Zolecki also doesn't expect Howard's deal to be done anytime soon.   Continue Reading

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Phillies Rumors: Baldelli, Hairston, Mench

5:44pm: MLB.com's Ken Mandel says the Phillies have Rocco Baldelli, Jerry Hairston Jr., and Kevin Mench on the radar in the event they don't re-sign Burrell. The Phillies have long liked Baldelli, though the Rays hope to talk contract soon. Reds GM Walt Jocketty recently met with Hairston's agent, and feels he made progress. And the Hanshin Tigers hope to lure Mench to Japan. 9:38am: Checkin' in on the Phillies... GM Ruben Amaro Jr. had an informal five-minute talk with Casey Close, who represents Ryan Howard and Joe Blanton. Talks have not yet begun with free agents Pat Burrell, Jamie...   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal's Latest: Manny, Mussina, Cano, Lowe

Ken Rosenthal's latest column at FOX Sports is jam-packed with rumors. Manny Ramirez will generate plenty of interest on the free agent market; he wants at least four years. There was a report earlier this month that Scott Boras expected to get five years. The term will be a crucial factor. Rosenthal names the Phillies, Mets, and Yankees as three teams that may pursue Manny. The Mariners' rebuilding effort will likely be spearheaded by a first-time GM, not an ideal scenario in the opinion of some baseball people. The Dodgers lost Shane Victorino twice in the Rule 5 draft. Tony...   Continue Reading

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Week in Review

Another week in the history books! Here's a look back from July 13-19: The Phillies acquired Joe Blanton from the A's for a package of three minor leaguers: Adrian Cardenas, Josh Outman, and Matthew Spencer. Cardenas and Outman were the Phils' #2 and #4 prospects. Personally, that seems like a lot to bring a pitcher who's already struggling to a much smaller park. Blanton is a much better pitcher than he's showed this season, however. Francisco Rodriguez will test the free-agent market this offseason. I don't think anyone would be surprised to see K-Rod sign a record-setting contract for a...   Continue Reading

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Phillies No Longer Interested In Fuentes?

MLB.com's Trade Talk blog speculates that the Phillies may no longer be pursuing Colorado closer Brian Fuentes, after Philadelphia traded three prospects for Joe Blanton. The blog wonders, "How many chips do (the Phillies) have to play?" Then, the blog hedges its bets: If an earlier report is correct, the Rockies have asked the Phillies for right-hander Carlos Carrasco or catcher Lou Marson in return for Fuentes, so something could still be possible. Trade Talk goes on to say that the Rockies would "hit the jackpot if a team came up with a young, talented starter -- like, say, the...   Continue Reading

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Rockies Rumors: Fuentes, Barmes, Taveras

Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post has a handful of Rockies rumors today. Saunders believes the Phillies' spent too much prospect capital on Joe Blanton to be able to acquire Brian Fuentes. He says the Rays, Yankees, and Mets are still in the mix for Fuentes. The Rays are interested in two other Rockies: Clint Barmes and Willy Taveras. Unexpected targets...what do you think? Would Barmes be an upgrade at shortstop?   Continue Reading

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Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Joe Blanton

A few notes on the Joe Blanton trade from around the Blogosphere... The Fightins wonder if acquiring Blanton was a good move and feel that J.A. Happ deserved another shot to grab a spot in the rotation. The 700 Level says that Blanton is not the #2 starter that the Phils needed, but he does add depth to the rotation. Phillies Nation wonders if the Phils could now flip Brett Myers (and change) to the Rockies for Matt Holliday. Philliesflow feels that trading for Blanton was a move that needed to be made, but wonder if the Phillies overpaid for...   Continue Reading

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Blanton Reactions

I'm on record as liking the Phillies' acquisition of Joe Blanton. Let's round up other reactions to the trade today. Bill Conlin isn't a fan of Blanton. The Transaction Guy sees nearly a 1.5 win gain for the Phillies this year, and isn't too impressed by Oakland's return. Keith Law thinks the Phillies' gain could approach two wins this year, even while considering the smaller park and inferior defense for Blanton. He considers the prospect package reasonable. Joel Sherman considers Blanton the pitcher Adam Eaton was meant to be. Tom Goyne says Blanton is the B-level acquisition we expected the...   Continue Reading

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