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Joe Blanton

Do The Red Sox Care About Blanton?

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With Joe Blanton seemingly the best available starter, the logical question is whether the Red Sox will now go after him.  Curt Schilling’s doctor believes he may never pitch again if he doesn’t have surgery.

The Globe and Mail’s Jeff Blair believes:

Theo Epstein has already laid some groundwork with the Oakland Athletics Billy Beane for a deal involving Joe Blanton, remnants of discussions the clubs had about Dan Haren before Haren was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

However, The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo wrote today that the Sox "merely kicked the tires on Erik Bedard and Dan Haren."

Ken Rosenthal suggested that Epstein might acquire more pitching depth, but didn’t mention Blanton.  Personally I do not see Epstein going the Blanton route.  Blanton doesn’t seem like the type of guy who would thrive in the AL East, though his price will be significant.  If anything, I’d expect Epstein to target a guy with good stuff, like Gil Meche, Ben Sheets, or Ian Snell (rather than the suggestions I have seen of Kyle Lohse or Jason Marquis).

Blanton May Be Traded

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9:14pm: Fay suggests the A’s would want Homer Bailey or Johnny Cueto, Joey Votto, and a third player for Blanton.

1:32pm: Paul Daugherty and John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer report that the Reds and Dodgers are talking to the A’s about Blanton.  Seems to be a disagreement about whether the Dodgers are in on this.

10:31am: Check out this new Ken Rosenthal video (hat tip to MetsBlog).  The video is all about Joe Blanton.

  • One Rosenthal source suggests a 50/50 chance Blanton is traded (presumably before the season starts).
  • Two teams are showing significant interest.  Rosenthal believes the Reds are one, and the Twins or Rays could be another.  He rules out the Dodgers, Yankees, Rockies, and Indians.  The Reds have had preliminary discussions for Blanton already.  How about the Phillies?  They came calling in July.
  • Rosenthal notes that the bounty for Blanton will be less than that of Dan Haren, because Blanton is slightly more expensive and an inferior pitcher.
  • On January 14th, an A’s source suggested to MLB.com’s Jim Molony who expected Blanton to be the A’s Opening Day starter.

Blanton To Stay Put?

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MLB.com’s Jim Molony talked to an A’s source who expects Joe Blanton to stay put and be Oakland’s Opening Day starter.  The offers so far must not have been encouraging.

We haven’t really heard the specifics of any Blanton offers.  The closest we came to learning Billy Beane’s asking price was on December 20th, when Buster Olney said:

Have heard that the Mets could land Joe Blanton with this package: center fielder Carlos Gomez, pitcher Aaron Heilman and pitcher Kevin Mulvey.

Aside from the Mets, the Reds, Indians, and Mariners reportedly had some level of interest in Blanton.

Reds Have Preliminary Discussions About Blanton

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We’ve heard the rumblings for some time.  Now there’s word from the Cincinnati Enquirer’s John Fay that the Reds have "had some preliminary discussions with Oakland about right-hander Joe Blanton."  The Reds also made some kind of offer for Erik Bedard, but Fay admits that neither trade is likely to occur.  That’s because the Reds won’t trade Jay Bruce and only want to part with one of Homer Bailey, Johnny Cueto, and Joey Votto (though all three are very good prospects).  Note that Billy Beane reportedly wanted Cueto in a Dan Haren deal.

Instead, the Reds are entertaining all sorts of second tier free agents.  Wayne Krivsky runs a tight ship, so it’s tough to narrow down who the Reds have actually talked to.  Fay implies that Livan Hernandez or Jon Lieber could be possibilities.  We do know from previous reports that the Reds have shown interest in Lieber, Runelvys Hernandez, Brett Tomko, Josh Fogg, and David Wells. 

Odds and Ends: Reyes vs. Ramirez, Blanton, Colon

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Let’s round up some random links for today…

Slusser On Blanton/Street/Ellis Trade Possibilities

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Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle was recently named Rumor Royalty for the A’s.  As part of the feature, I asked her a few questions.

MLBTR: It seems Joe Blanton is a hot commodity, but we’re not hearing much about Huston Street or Mark Ellis. Do you expect any of these three to be with the team on Opening Day?

Slusser: I think Blanton gets moved by the trading deadline, at the latest, but probably before then. Street opens the season with the team but potentially could get moved by the deadline if a contender were to lose a closer, but overall, he’s less likely than Blanton to get dealt – he’s three years younger and, coming off an arm injury, he’s not going to bring back as much. Ellis has one year left on his deal, so wouldn’t bring a ton in return, plus he’s a great guy to have as a role model for young players. Clearly, no one is untouchable at this point, but of all the A’s more veteran guys, he’s the best bet to be around all year.

Mets Still Like Joe Blanton

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Peter Botte of the New York Daily News says the Mets have asked Billy Beane to "keep them in mind" as he’s shopping Joe Blanton.  Blanton could be their fallback plan for Johan Santana.  Botte says the Twinsa are still hung up on Jose Reyes, though La Velle E. Neal III heard otherwise.

On December 20th, Buster Olney said a package of Carlos Gomez, Aaron Heilman, and Kevin Mulvey would probably net Blanton for the Mets.

If the Mets can’t get Santana or Blanton, they may move on to free agent targets such as Kyle Lohse, Livan Hernandez, Jon Lieber, Freddy Garcia, or Matt Morris.  Botte does not mention Bartolo Colon as a free agent on the Mets’ radar.

Mets Pitching Plans

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Many readers have written me asking what the Mets are going to do to upgrade their starting rotation.  Matthew Cerrone as a man in the know, and he’s written a summary over at MetsBlog.

  • Cerrone senses nothing much cooking on the Johan Santana front, yet the Mets remain "oddly confident."
  • Cerrone believes the Mets will probably sign one rehabber – Freddy Garcia or Bartolo Colon.  He says reviews on Colon in the Dominican Winter League have been positive.  Omar Minaya knows Colon well, having traded the farm for him as GM of the Expos.  Garcia may be ready to pitch around June.  Coming off a frayed rotator cuff and labrum he may not contribute much in 2008.
  • Bullpen wise, Cerrone says Octavio Dotel is on the radar, especially if Aaron Heilman is traded.
  • There’s a lack of buzz with the Mets for Kyle Lohse, Livan Hernandez, and Joe Blanton currently.

Olney On Blanton/Mets

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Buster Olney heard that the Mets could acquire starter Joe Blanton from the A’s if they’d agree to surrender Carlos Gomez, Aaron Heilman, and Kevin Mulvey.  I wonder if Oakland would try Heilman in the rotation. 

The A’s would probably go with an outfield nucleus of Travis Buck in left, Gomez in center, and Carlos Gonzalez in right.  That could make Nick Swisher – signed for five years through 2012 – expendable.

Mets fans: would you do it?

Reds Still Searching For A Starter

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John Fay writes of the Reds’ continued search for a starting pitcher.  That’s Wayne Krivsky’s focus; his main limitation is that Jay Bruce is untouchable.

The Reds couldn’t get Dan Haren because they wouldn’t give up young starter Johnny Cueto.  The focus remains on Erik Bedard; the Reds seem willing to offer Homer Bailey as a starting point.  Fay indicates that the Dodgers lead for Bedard, which is odd given their current six-deep rotation.

I have a feeling the hot stove is going to turn to Joe Blanton now.  The Reds may be in the thick of it, especially if they’d give up Bailey for him.  What do you think, would that be a wise move?

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