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Why Trade For Joe Blanton?

Why Should The Rays Trade For Joe Blanton?

Our good friends at MLB Trade Rumors have cooked up another appetizer for Rays fans, as it is being reported that Tampa is one of three possible teams talking to Oakland about pitcher Joe Blanton. Blanton, a 27 year old right hander, was a first round pick by the Athletics in 2002 out of Kentucky. Since joining the A’s rotation in 2005, he has 42-34 with a 4.10 ERA.

Having made one move for Matt Garza earlier this off-season, general manager Andrew Friedman is once again in the mix for another possible arm to add to the starting staff. Whether that’s a smart move or not is something we’ll analyze later, but there is no doubt that Blanton does provide one asset the Rays need. Durability.

The 6-2, 220 (he looks bigger than that) pounder has averaged 208 innings the past three years, including a career high 230 frames in 2007. A contact oriented pitcher, Blanton has given up more than a hit an inning, while punching out only 5.2 per nine. By no means an ace, Blanton is serviceable and can be counted on in the right situation. Does that mean Tampa? Well, it depends on what Oakland GM Billy Beane wants in return.

I feel that Rays fans and media still must temper their excitement about this team, because they are still two years away from competing heavily in the AL East. The parts are in place, but it will take further progression and growth from the minor league level before they can claim arrival. We all want that to happen sooner, but unfortunately that’s just not the case.

So, adding Blanton provides what? He is cost controlled until after the 2010 season, bringing great quality for a salary that adds very little to the Rays payroll. Assuming his career trends continue, you can pencil him for 200 league-average innings with the chance that he can improve those numbers slightly.

By the time he’s getting ready for free agency, he could conceivably bring up the back end of the Rays rotation in a strong fashion. Problem is, when it all shakes out, will Blanton be redundant and keep someone with greater ability from reaching the majors? Probably. Who you ask?

Let’s look at it from a numbers perspective. The number one through three positions in the rotation are spoken for, presumably until at least 2010. It breaks down like this.

1. Scott Kazmir
2. James Shields
3. Matt Garza (acquired in Delmon Young trade)

From there, you have genuine competition for the final two slots. Right now, you have four arms battling, with that number only growing in the next two seasons. Here’s the group that could be in the mix by 2009.

Possibles: David Price, Andy Sonnastine, Jeff Neimann, Wade Davis, Jake McGee

That’s just a short list, and you could include three others rather easily (Mason, Hellickson, Talbot). You can really argue that Price is a lock, and while you might debate McGee, there is little to suggest that Niemann or Davis won’t be ready by 2009, if not sooner.

It’s crowded already, and having Blanton lock down a spot seems repetitive. While it is still potential right now, I feel that Price, Davis and McGee can all be better than him. At worst I feel Niemann can provide the same production, so again the question becomes, why acquire him?

The second point of this argument is the bounty it will require to retain Blanton’s services. You can’t use the Dan Haren package as comparison, because Haren’s a better pitcher with a more dominant arsenal. So, what are you willing to give up to get Joe Blanton?

Beane will most likely ask for the moon, before settling somewhere in the upper regions of the atmosphere. That probably means Desmond Jennings, or one of the pitchers we mentioned above. If you feel that those arms can be better than Blanton, than why trade them away to pick him up?

Just doesn’t make sense to me. Now, if you can get him for a lesser package that doesn’t ask for anyone in the top five of my “Tampa Bay Top 10″,  than maybe I bite. But, we all know that’s not likely. Jennings is #8, and I almost deem him off limits. So will there be anything that Beane is going to want? Doubtful.

This is a fun rumor, and gives me and other bloggers something to write about. It’s very unlikely to ever come to fruition, but it keeps the Hot Stove burning for the final two weeks before pitchers and catchers report. Blanton’s a good pitcher, but ultimately his worth and where he’ll fit in Rays plans just doesn’t match. I say pass.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 7th, 2008 at 5:40 pm and is filed under The Tampa Bay Top 10, David Price, Desmond Jennings, Jacob McGee, Wade Davis, Chris Mason, Billy Beane, Scott Kazmir, Andrew Friedman, James Shields, Joe Blanton, Dan Haren, Jeff Niemann. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.