I actually think this is a great, great deal for us. $4M for a guy with those kind of numbers? If his name was something else, I can almost assure you it'd be a 2-year deal worth $12-16M.
VRP is right, great out of the bully last year, which is what he's being brought in to do. He can spot start if needed. Experienced. Only a one year commitment. Not a sexy free agent pickup, but a signing that really has no downside.
No pitcher I dislike more than Blanton, just because he had a good half year with the best pitching coach in baseball doesn't mean he will sustain it. Should have kept Nicasio
Not sure how their is anything to complain about here If he's fixed as a reliever like he was last year then great... if not it's a minimal committment and he can go away fairly easily
I legit though kooofax bumped an old thread when I saw this.. Only to be disappointed that Joe Fucking Blanton is even sniffing a bullpen spot with us...
this he's not going to be put in key situations he just needs to be one of the guys that helps get the ball to the next guy, ultimately kenley the 88 team had guys like that; holton, leary, crews if he contributes, great if not, $4MM isn't that big a gamble in this day/age
My only fear is that he gets used wrong. Like, when the Dodgers signed Chris Perez it was low risk but then Don started using him in high leverage situations and he stuck around for waaaaay longer then he should've. I'd hope they use him properly and cut bait if he sucks
AF and the nerd bunch weren't around for Perez, so I'm gonna try to have a little faith there. They seem to be puppeteering in regards to usage
hoping roberts trust in honeycutt to help guide him cuz you're right about perez being misused you don't keep throwing a guy who's struggling/lacking confidence into key situations if they use him correctly, he could prove to be a valuable asset
Blanton’s contract includes IP incentives by Eric Avakian | Dodger Blue — 1 hour ago Although the Los Angeles Dodgers had been very active in the starting pitching market, little had been done to address their bullpen with external options. J.P. Howell exercised his player option for 2016 back in November, while the Dodgers declined their team option on Joel Peralta that same month. Los Angeles did attempt to trade for Aroldis Chapman and reportedly had interest in free-agent relievers Darren O’Day and Ryan Madson, only for O’Day to re-sign with the Baltimore Orioles and Madson to join the Oakland Athletics. Holdovers Luis Avilan, Chris Hatcher and Kenley Jansen all re-signed on one-year contracts to avoid arbitration. Then on Tuesday, the Dodgers announced the signing of Joe Blanton to a one-year, $4 million deal. According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, Blanton’s deal includes incentives: Ken Rosenthal ✔ @Ken_Rosenthal Source: Blanton also gets $250K for 50 and 60 IP and $500 K for 70 IP. Structured for a reliever. 12:29 PM - 19 Jan 2016 Blanton previously pitched for the Dodgers during the 2012 season and largely struggled as he went 2-4 with a 4.99 ERA, 3.74 FIP and 1.42 WHIP in 10 starts. However, those numbers may not be indicative of what’s to be expected from the 35 year old. Last season Blanton had success out of the bullpen for the Kansas City Royals and Pittsburgh Pirates. As a reliever Blanton had a 2.04 ERA, 2.56 FIP, 62 strikeouts and issued only 12 walks in 32 relief appearances. He was particularly effective against right-handed batters, allowing them to hit just .203/.231/.327 while posting a 30.4 percent strikeout rate. For the season, Blaton went 7-2 with a 2.84 ERA, 2.92 FIP and 1.12 WHIP in 36 games.