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Joe Blanton

Don’t Expect Phillies to Pick Up a Bat

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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 for arms. Joe Blanton, after Thursday's start, has a 5.28 ERA. Considering he is Philadelphia's de facto number two starter, that won't get it done.

Worse still is the bullpen situation. Brad Lidge is sidelined with a knee injury, and now Ryan Madson, who had been dominant, has hit a rough patch at exactly the wrong time, blowing up in two of the three games against Toronto.

So which should be the priority right now for Philadelphia: starter or reliever?

Phillies Arb: Howard, Victorino, Werth

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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.

Phillies Rumors: Baldelli, Hairston, Mench

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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 Moyer, and Scott Eyre.  Conversations will begin soon with Moyer and Eyre.
  • Curt Schilling would be open to returning to the Phillies if he pitches next year.  Amaro says he hasn’t even considered the possibility yet.  He would make a nice fifth starter if they can re-sign Moyer.
  • The Phillies control setup man Ryan Madson through 2009, but he’s represented by Scott Boras.  Boras compared Madson to Mariano Rivera circa 1996, so don’t look for an affordable long-term deal.
  • Amaro talked to at least 27 other GMs at the meetings.
  • No word yet from the Philly writers on Andrew Baggarly’s rumor that the Phils will listen on Jimmy Rollins.

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

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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 Jackson had more details on that history a few days ago.
  • Rosenthal talked to friends of Mike Mussina who remain convinced he will retire.  Buster Olney got a different vibe recently.
  • Rosenthal notes that the Dodgers’ interest in Robinson Cano is "sincere," but it’s unknown what they’d give up for him.
  • Derek Lowe’s teammates say he has little interest in playing for the Mets or Yankees.
  • Back in ’07, Blake DeWitt was considered a possible throw-in in a proposed Joe Blanton to the Dodgers deal.  Rumor was the A’s wanted three frontline prospects from the Dodgers, DeWitt not among them.

Week in Review

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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 reliever.
  • The Yankees signed Richie Sexson.
  • Francisco Liriano – or at least his agent – is not pleased that the Twins still have him in AAA. The Twins won’t blame Liriano for the investigation. Upsetting a player who’s that young and that talented seems like a bad idea to me…
  • The Padres traded Tony Clark to the Diamondbacks for minor leaguer Evan Scribner. The D’Backs have looked like they can use all the help they can get lately.
  • A.J. Burnett likes Toronto and doesn’t want to be traded. My advice: Don’t talk to Chicago reporters anymore, A.J.
  • Tim updated the third base and second base markets.
  • Erik Bedard’s injury looks like it will keep him in Seattle. And if you don’t believe me yet, here’s another one for you.
  • The Twins balked at Seattle’s asking price for Adrian Beltre. And considering they asked for one of Scott Baker, Nick Blackburn, Glen Perkins, or Kevin Slowey as well as other minor league prospects, can you blame them?

Phillies No Longer Interested In Fuentes?

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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 Yankees’ Phil Hughes or Ian Kennedy, or a couple of top Double-A prospects such as the Rays’ Wade Davis or Jeremy Hellickson."

It’s highly unlikely the Phillies will deal Carrasco, the organization’s top prospect, for a set-up man. It’s an absolute impossibility that the Yankees will trade Hughes for Fuentes. The Rays are still considered the front-runners for Fuentes, the blog says.

Coley Ward writes for Umpbump.com and can be reached here.

Rockies Rumors: Fuentes, Barmes, Taveras

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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?

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Joe Blanton

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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 a starter who was struggling in a pitcher’s park.
  • Beerleaguer feels that at worst Blanton is a Jon Lieber-type, but could be a strong starter for the rest of ’08. However, they are worried about Blanton beyond this season.
  • Athletic Supporters feels that the Blanton deal will have little impact on the ’08 A’s but could put the team in a better position to dip their feet into the free agency waters after the season.
  • Catfish Stew is surprised at the quality of the prospects that the A’s were able to land for Blanton.

Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.

Blanton Reactions

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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 Phillies to make.  He doesn’t think the Phillies will miss the prospects they gave up.
  • Dave Cameron believes Phillies fans will ultimately be frustrated with Blanton, as his low home run per flyball rates are not sustainable.
  • Rob Neyer says Justin Duchscherer is at peak value, and Billy Beane hasn’t given up on ’08 unless he moves Duke.
  • Or could Huston Street be the next to go?
  • Ken Davidoff is surprised Pat Gillick and Billy Beane matched up for a trade, and gives the edge to the Phillies.  This does appear to be the first Gillick-Beane matchup, but I wonder how much of the work A’s assistant GM David Forst did.
  • SI.com’s Jon Heyman thinks the A’s waiting too long to trade Blanton, noting their spring demand for Johnny Cueto and then some.
  • With all the deals this month, it’s nice to not read the tired annual story about how the trade deadline is mostly talk and little action.
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