Four Teams Eying Blanton
Saturday, December 15, 2007
According to major league sources, the interest Haren received has made the Athletics more willing to trade Joe Blanton. Although they are not desperate to trade him, they have been talking to teams about a trade. From what I am hearing, the Mariners, Mets, Royals, and Cubs are all interested in trading for Blanton. I doubt the Mariners would unload three or more prospects to someone in their division, and I do not think the Royals are in any place to trade their prospects, as they too, try to rebuild. The Royals also have money available in trying to land Carlos Silva, which they seem more interested in doing. The Mets have been interested in Blanton for awhile and might be willing to trade a package that includes Phillip Humber, Kevin Mulvey, and a pair of minor league position prospects. The Cubs have reportedly been looking for an elite American League pitcher and might be in talks with the A's for Blanton. They have the prospects, and a trade for a solid pitcher would definitely put them on top of the Central. A package that included Sean Gallagher, Eric Patterson, Donnie Veal, and maybe Matt Murton would be a start. They might look for Tyler Colvin in the deal, but the Cubs are not interested in trading him, like they are not interested in dealing Donnie Veal or Jeff Samardzjia. I the Athletics will find a suitor, whether it is the Mets or someone else, they will find one. It wouldn't surprise me to see the Indians jump in. GM Mark Shapiro told me before the off season that they are looking for pitching, and with the recent addition the Tigers made, I think they would love to add another legitimate pitcher. We'll see what happens, but don't be surprised if a trade happens in the next week or so.
9 comments:
as an Indians fan I don't want Blanton. I WANTED Haren, I thought we could get him, I still feel we should have unloaded Adam Miller for him, but such as the case. The one guy I want the Indians to go for now is Jason Bay. He can be that everyday LF we so deserperately need. He makes our lineup better.
You don't want Blanton because he'd be the second best pitcher on your team? Wow, makes no sense to me.
Blanton would be our second best pitcher? Duhhhh, what about Carmona? No, Blanton doesn't make the Indians instant contenders for the division. He's a good support player, but he;s not the difference maker like Haren is.
Honestly, why wouldn't you want Blanton? I wish the Royals would get him
Just fyi, Carmona was great last year, but besides his ERA, Blanton was just as good (if not better) and he's proven to be a solid pitcher for 3 season. Carmona may be better, but that's not proven yet. The point is, you say you dont' want blanton and I can't understand why. Look at his stats and his career averages - he'll be 27 this year (key age) and is a bulldog.
I checked his stats, and one thing that impressed me was his BB, they keep getting lower and lower every year, but he still isn't the second best pitcher on the staff. Carmona is better. However, maybe I wouldn't mind him pitching for the Indians, it's just that Beane would be a fool to get rid of him because heisn't that expensive and he can easily rebuild his staff around Blanton. So, I do not think he will be available, but I could be wrong. I just wanted Haren more.
I checked Blanton's stats and I was wrong. He would be the idea number 3 pitcher for the Indians. It would especially be better if we can also get Swisher in a package deal for say Adam Miller, Trevor Crowe and another minor leaguer. I would love that deal in a second.
As an A's fan I will say Blanton is a pretty good pitcher. Nothing special but reliable enough that it is a worthwhile investment for any team. He wont cost you 10 million like most average pitchers, you dont have to worry about injuries, and his era wont suddenly jump up to 5 like most pitchers on the free agent market.
Would I give up a top prospect for him? Depends how deep my farm system is and how close I am to winning a WS.
A team like the Indians makes some sense for him. They are close to being a playoff bound team. A team like the Reds maybe not so much.
I love the walk numbers, they keep going down every year, so I do believe Joe can do well for the Indians, but I read where he is a power pitcher? If he is, then why doesn't he have many strikeouts?
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