Dodgers Pick Up Joe Blanton

Hey, so the Dodgers did pick up a pitcher from the Phillies. Today the Dodgers acquired……Joe Blanton. Joe Blanton?! Yes, him. They picked him up for a player to be named later and some cash considerations from the Phillies. The Phills just pretty much said, hey you want him? Here you go, and just threw him at us. Trust me, if Blanton was any good, they wouldn’t have just gave him to us. The DOdgers are also on the hook for the rest of Blanton’s salary which is about 2.9 million. You though I was gonna say Cliff lee didn’t you? I am so very sorry.

Blanton is a 31 year old right hander form Bowling Kentucky. He is 8-9 this year with a 4.59 ERA, and 118 whiffs in 133.1 innings pitched is good. 141 hits allowed though is bad. Only 18 walks very good. But, 22 home runs served up is bad.

Blanton once won 16 games with Oakland, but has typically been mediocre to below average. His whiff per nine rate is 7.8 which is pretty good actually, but he is a control pitcher, who has only walked 18 this year. That means he is around the plate most of the time, and doesn’t have the fastball or secondary pitches to keep guys in the ballpark. Blanton has pitched in the majors for nine years, has an 81-71 record, and a 4.35 ERA. Blanton isn’t terrible, but he isn’t very good either. On the bright side he does make a lot of funny looking faces when he pitches.

I am assuming that Blanton will take Stephen Fife’s spot in the rotation, and Fife will be sent back down to the minors. I find this amusing since I think Fife is a better pitcher, but hey we’ll all find out soon enough won’t we? Perhaps the Dodgers are unsure of whether Ted Lilly will be coming back or not, and this is insurance? I doubt it. I am betting that Blanton takes over the 5 spot, and Fife is immediately sent down. Then again, who knows?

When the Dodger management makes moves like this, it somewhat frustrates me. A lot of people were complaining about Stephen Fife. I thought he was decent at worst. Well, hey just wait until you see Blanton pitch, you guys will be begging for Stephen Fife back. It’s like two steps forward after all of the good moves at the trade deadline, and then one step back. Who knows what will happen next? Do you think we still have a chance of getting Cliff Lee? Maybe, or maybe not. Although if they don’t pick up Lee, it wouldn’t surprise me. I expect nothing less from the same management team who continues to employ Juan Uribe.