31-year-old innings eater Joe Blanton has about $3MM left on his contract, and the Orioles are his most interested suitor. The latest:
- The Phillies are coming off the $3MM demands, tweets Connolly, and Blanton to the Orioles is picking up steam again.
- The Orioles would have to take on $3MM to acquire Blanton, and they aren't comfortable with that amount, so they're considering other options, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports (all Twitter links). The Mariners want a lot in return for Jason Vargas, Connolly writes. Joe Saunders and Bud Norris are alternatives, but it's not clear whether they're fits for Baltimore. The Orioles don't want to give up much in a trade for starting pitching, Connolly writes.
- The Orioles tried to get Paul Maholm from the Cubs, Ghiroli reports. She confirms the team's interest in Saunders and Vargas. The Orioles are looking on the relief market as well, Ghiroli reports.
- The Orioles are turning their attention back toward other starters, tweets MLB.com's Britt Ghiroli.
- The Orioles were sent medicals on Blanton as well as two Phillies minor leaguers, tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com.
- Money continues to be a stumbling block on a Blanton deal, tweets MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. The chances of the deal dying have increased since yesterday.
Ruben doing what Ruben does. Screwing things up. Lets ask for their #3 prospect and then let the deal collapse. Sums up the Phillies 2012 season. Disappointing.
Joe Blanton…eater of innings and everything else for that matter.
A more wholesome version of Scott Erickson in the late 90s. I think one year he posted a 5.00+ ERA and logged 220+ IP. Impressive.
He’s not that fat though… he’s just shaped that way naturally.
Round is a shape.
According to Roch Kubatko the Orioles are balking at Phillies requesting SS Schoop, the Orioles’ #3 prospect behind Dylan Bundy and Manny Machado.
I would hope so! If the O’s were to give up Schoop (who has been pretty impressive for a 20 year old at AA), I would hope he would be part of a package that brought them a young, cost-controlled MLB player. Even if the Phils only get salary relief out of the deal, I think they still come out ahead on this one. Seriously, who wants Joe Blanton? I dont get this from Baltimore’s perspective at all.
No one really wanted Jason Hammel (turned out great), Dana Eveland (not great, but contributed), Lew Ford (verdict is out), etc. Duquette is trying to milk value out of unwanted players that he sees value in.
I think a lot of these starting pitching options are actually a lot of Showalter’s doing too. It’s part of what people mean by when they say hes “extremely well-prepared.” I think he has a lot of faith in exploiting matchups and timing, so that maybe catch a team or a pitcher at the right time, and he can squeeze out a handful of wins here and there. Over the course of a season, the difference between a bad vs good season might be less than 10 wins, if you think about it. Pennants are decided based on a few wins differentials.
I like DD’s approach and success with finding undervalued guys, but “unwanted players” implies they are not valued highly by other organizations and can be had on the cheap. Schoop and $3MM for a two month rental of a pitcher that has not played above relpacement level for each of the past three years is a pretty steep price, no? Especially with the new CBA that wouldnt allow the O’s to get a comp pick in the draft.
Blanton’s WAR (according to BR)
2010: -0.2
2011: 0.0
2012: -0.1
Neither Schoop nor 3MM was ever on the table, let alone both.
I don’t “want” Blanton, but having an innings-eater will help prevent the bullpen from collapsing from overuse. Ducquette’s proven that having pitching depth is always a good thing, even if those options aren’t necessailry stellar. Quantitative improvement in the absence of qualitative options.
RAJ won’t kick in money on $3M for Blanton to get a decent return? Does he not realize that Blanton is a 4th-5th starter? C’mon Amaro…
RAJ wants to get under the luxury tax threshold.
I wonder which prospects…prob another pitcher or two…
wonder who the 2 minor league players are that the O’s got medical records on. Maybe Schoop for Blanton and 2 upside prospects?
That’s what I’m thinking.
If they trade any of the Crosscutters, I’ll be angry.
They can have Tyler Green :)
looks like it doesnt matter anymore, O’s are smart not trading Scoop for Blanton. good call O’s good call
phils have a nice group of young starters in A and AA, so probably at least one of them
Ruben has no idea how to be a seller, I’m not sure I see this ending well.
Blanton should be the stumbling block … die deal, die!
If the Orioles are to trade prospects, they should be interested in pitchers like Halladay and hope they find their form again.
Let the Blue Jays have Blanton if they are offering more! Call the Phillies bluff.
No chance Halladay is worth what we’d have to give up, even if he is having an off year.
someone on twitter got it right when they said Blanton is a lot of inning and food eater.
Amaro just eat the 3 million. You just gave Hamels a 6/144 deal last week, I would think you can eat the 3 million that you will have to pay if you don’t trade Blanton.
Phillies needs to keep em moving. Eat Fat Joe’s contract, and be done with it. Then send Cliff Lee off for some quality prospects to a contending team like the Rangers while eating 10-12 mil on his yearly salary.
I wish the Pirates would have gotten in on Blanton. Nice back of the rotation guy that is going to end up going CHEAP. The O’s will drag this to the last 30 minutes and end up getting Blanton for nothing, watch and see.
Blanton wasn’t going to get anything anyway