8:55pm: The teams continue haggling about players and money, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). The Phillies would absorb more money if they get a better prospect in return.
8:15pm: The Orioles are declining to trade Schoop for Blanton, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). The teams are deep in negotiations, Connolly writes. Five to seven teams, including the Blue Jays, have showed interest in Blanton, according to Connolly.
8:04pm: The Phillies want to shed all of Blanton's contract (he's owed $3.02MM from here until the end of the season), but the Orioles are hesitant to take on that much salary in this case, Connolly reports (Twitter links). The Phillies believe they have other options, so negotiations could continue until the trade deadline on Tuesday.
7:03pm: Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer hears the Phillies want infield prospect Jonathan Schoop for Blanton. Schoop, 20, entered the season as the Orioles' number three prospect behind Dylan Bundy and Manny Machado, according to Baseball America. However, he didn't crack the publication's midseason list of the top 50 prospects in the game. Schoop has a .244/.301/.391 batting line in 413 plate appearances at Double-A this year.
4:39pm: The Phillies have sent Blanton's medical records to the Orioles, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports (on Twitter).
11:04am: The Orioles are Joe Blanton's most interested suitor, according to MLB.com's Britt Ghiroli. She reminds us that the Cardinals and Blue Jays have also expressed interest. But for the Orioles, the Phillies' righty is "there if they want him," a source tells Ghiroli. Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com says the Orioles have been checking Blanton out since spring training, and Danny Knobler of CBS Sports reported on the team's interest as well today. Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun tweets that while the Orioles are one of five to seven teams that inquired on Blanton and they may be the most intrigued, the organization is torn on whether he'll help.
Ghiroli says the Orioles have scouted Blanton heavily, and one source tells her the Phillies seek an MLB-ready utility player or a middle relief prospect. Blanton, 31, has a 4.59 ERA, 7.8 K/9, 1.2 BB/9, 1.49 HR/9, and 43.9% groundball rate in 133 1/3 innings this year, and he's averaged over 6.6 innings per start. He'll take the ball every fifth day and won't hurt himself with walks, but will also allow tons of hits and home runs. Blanton signed an extension with the Phillies in January of 2010 and has just over $3MM left on his contract.
So this is what? The 10th season in a row where the Phillies have tried to move Blanton?
Please don’t do it, Duquette!
Later Heavy B!
Thanks for Game 4, Joe the Lumber – we shall not forget.
“Great trade – who’d we get?”
This is a bad idea. The orioles have lots of mediocre pitchers. why get one more?
Either do nothing, or get someone YOUNG and GOOD.
Well, if the O’s want to make a move just to make a move, Blanton is “there if they want him.”
Of course, we have plenty of guys who can give up tons of hits and home runs and post 5.00+ ERAs already…
Gross.
Blantons been pretty damn solid. Im sure if the team takes most of the salary they wont be giving up much.
What if…
… acquiring Blanton for, say, Robert Andino (the major league ready utility guy the Phillies say they are looking for) would allow the O’s to part with Matusz in a deal for Headley? Then does it make sense to get Blanton?
yes
If Matusz is the kind of player the Padres have been waiting on in the Headley trade talks, they must be getting some miserable offers…
Philly beat writers are saying this is a done deal
Medical records? I am dying to know what Joe’s cholestorol levels are!
Seriously, we’ve loved having Blanton here since his stellar down the stretch pitching in ’08 (and his World Series home run – how many pitchers can say that?). He’s one of the best second half pitchers in all of baseball and the O’s will get him ridiculously cheap.
If you guys could tolerate Jeremy Guthrie all those years, you’ll be much happier with Blanton.
You could always pick up Livo cheap from the Brewers?
Blanton is unreliable, bet he give up three home runs his next start and six runs. No way would i trade a top ten prospect for him. Maybe a RP. That’s it. O’s are
doing you a favor taking 3mil off the books.
Phils would gladly pay the 3 million to get a better prospect…Ruben spends our money like a drunken sailor on shore leave (with apologies to sailors)
This only makes sense if they send Matusz/Arrietta in a deal for Headley. They shouldn’t be making moves just to make a move. They don’t have 1 good top of the rotation starter and have about 7 mediocore ones, why get another??
Phillies got 2 decent prospects for Thome from the O’s. I’d Imagine Blanton would fetch even more if they pay the majority remaining on his deal.
It makes no sense for the Phillies to eat most/all of the money on the guys they’re trading. The major reason for this “fire sale” is to get under the luxury tax this year.
I might disagree to an extent. Thats part of reason no doubt, but they also have to realize they have an old team and nothing on the farm that can step in soonish. They can afford to go over the tax threshold for one year if they can get players that can help them for the next 5-10 years.
It’s bad business for them to pay a 17% tax this year on a losing season and play 30% next year…
True true. But maybe they’ve deluded themselves into thinking that next year will be a winning season. And they’ll only have to pay 30% if the go over for both 13 and 14. Utley’s and Halladay’s contracts are off the books after next season right? That should push them down under the tax cap.
Also they have the tv deal coming up. They’ll need to be competitive for the next few years in order to get maximum dollar on that deal.
No the reason they r doing this is to get back players to restock thr farm. And if the phillies could get back schoop for blanton then it would be a great trade for thr phillies. Even if it meang eating most or all of the salary. They still have other player that can gRt them under the luxury tax. They also ill be able to bring up cloyd to pitch the rest of the rest of the season. Hes already proven himself in the minors and deserves his shot with the big league.club already…
Ugh,,, if you think the Orioles are actually going to give up Schoop for Blanton I’m not even going to waste my time arguing with you.
No…the major reason for the fire sale is to bring in some young (i.e. cheap) guys who can produce, since Mayberry, Brown, Bastardo, Stutes, Diekman, Schwimer, Rosenberg gave them a big ZERO in 2012. Galvis was their best young player this year and he got busted for PEDs and fractured his back.
I’m also pretty sure they are not over the luxury tax threshold this season, plus with nearing 300 sellouts in a row, it’s much more about having a better 2013 to keep the interest up than a few million saved here or there and another lousy season next year.
Yup. Gonna get some future all stars for Joe Blanton, Juan Pierre, Ty Wiggington, and Victorino.
Pence is the only guy worthwhile for anyone to acquire. They ARE over the luxury tax. Not by much. Are they trying to get more players? Yes. But it’s imperative for them to get under the tax for next year… because to fill all the holes on the team, they’re going to have to go over it.
They actually are supposedly between 4 to 5 mill over the luxury tqx as of right now…
As an O’s fan, I can assure you that the Phillies got two marginal prospects for Thome. Lino is a 19 year old catch and throw guy who right now couldn’t hit water falling out of a boat. Kyle Simon was pretty miserable in A ball this year with a high hit rate and low K rate.
Blanton would definitely fetch more than that, but that’s really not saying much. However, if the Phils insist on the O’s picking up the $3MM left on Bluto’s contract, they aren’t getting much at all.
Blood type: Rocky Road
Blanton for Tyler Kelly. Struggled at AAA to start the year and was sent down to A+ ball. Just recently bumped up to AA. Versatile guy who can play 2B, 3B and the corner outfield spots. Not sure if he fits into the Oriioles long-term plans, but he’s not listed in their top 20 prospects from what I’ve read.
No way the Phil’s get Schoop for Blanton. I could see them getting Andino or Robert Bundy.
Bobby Bundy is out for the rest of the year with elbow surgery. Phillies won’t trade for him. I can totally see Andino for Blanton. Hoping it’s Andino, Ryan Adams, and a reliever for Blanton and Victorino.
In addition to wanting Schoop for Blanton, the Phillies also asked for the Baltimore Aquarium in exchange for a fish tank of half eaten philly cheesesteaks.
Of course the Phillies want Schoop for Blanton. And the O’s want Cliff Lee for Jason Berken. And I want $25K for my used Ford Escort.
What does everyone else want?
NSFW
Don’t forget that Duquette is the same guy who got Pedro to Boston for Carl Pavano and a moldy sandwich. What goes around comes around, I guess.
First, I don’t see how the two are related.
Second, hindsight is fun and all, but Pavano was a fantastic prospect at the time of the deal, and the moldy sandwich (Tony Armas Jr.) wasn’t too shabby either.
I’m pretty sure the O’s could get Kevin Correia for less than a top 10 prospect. Correia’s cheaper than Blanton and just as volatile!
Seriously. Maybe the deal breaker is Rollins for Machado too!?
Correia’s habit of pitching to contact would translate even more poorly to the AL than Blanton’s, who K’s quite a few guys and keeps the walks down so the HRs don’t kill him (a poor man’s Catfish Hunter? or maybe Bronson Arroyo in his prime is a good comparable) Blanton’s peripherals are ugly but the dude wins a lot of games.
Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer hears the Phillies want infield prospect Jonathan Schoop for Blanton.
I think Bob needs to take a drive down the shore and clear his head. I don’t think his hearing is up to snuff. The Phillies can ask for Schoop for Blanton, but I wouldn’t trade Schoop unless if was Halladay and the Phillies eat some salary. I can’t wait to hear the response if any. Probable more dislikes! :p
PS DanistheGuy 52 likes…. is that some sort of record? I mean my Morneau idea got three dislkes, I think someone is biased against “Lefty”… tear, tear, sniff.
Also on a more serious note, kudos to Miguel Gonzalez tonight against the Yankees!
Nice Bounce back game!
Schoop for Blanton bahahahahah
I don’t see why they want this pitcher they have 3 pitcher just like him ! I wouldn’t give you a D player for him ! Yes I know there no D player !
I thought the asking price was a middle reliever or MLB ready UTL player… I’d be more than impressed if they got Schoop for Blanton.
Hopefully the request for Schoop ended all trade talks for Blanton immediately ….
Blanton for Schoop? That’s like saying you will trade me a pidgey for a charizard
pidgey for a charizard… if I only knew what this meant it would be even more humorous!
But…but…what if it was a 1st Edition Pidgey holographic?
If this was the ESPYs, you’d win best message board comment of the year.
Give him some of that juice Brady used to inject and he’d burst like a balloon.
In terms of looks more like snorlax for jynx.
If the Orioles trade Schoop for a minor upgrade like Blanton, I’ll lose all faith in DD. If we trade Schoop, it should be for Headley, not Blanton.
Pretty much expected Orioles would turn down that deal. There is no way the Phils were going to get a top 100 prospect for a 4th starter rental.
RAJ actually asked for the Orioles 3rd highest rated player according to mlb.com and Baseball America? I proposed a deal for AA INF Tyler Kelly who might never turn into anything. Not even ranked in their top 20 according to mlb.com. Blanton is a 4th-5th started, be realistic RAJ…
Why be “realistic?” RAJ knows who he wants and if the O’s think they have a shot at a wildcard, they’ll part with Schoop. If the O’s back off then the O’s are saying that this season is a mirage. O’s are over a barrel in starting pitching big time right now and they’re not gonna go back to Matusz or Arrieta in a pennant race (which would scar them for life).
The 2 sides will posture and RAJ will keep upping the ante on how much of Blanton’s $ he’ll pay for until they finally get a deal done or RAJ will go to the next team. He’s not looking to give guys away for useless garbage (Andino) and Phils don’t need salary relief on the 2012 roster – they need it on the 2013 roster.
P.S. do you really think it was the Phillies who leaked that a MLB utility player would get a Blanton deal done? Get real, that stuff came from the Orioles trying to set expectations low.
If the Orioles back off, it shows they have common sense, not that they are giving up. Giving up a top 100 prospect for a rental whos barely an upgrade is something that would cost some GMs their jobs.
Blanton has the best winning pct of any pitcher from 7/31 on from 2008-2011. I think you’re selling him short and 3/5 of the O’s original rotation is not pitching for them right now. Don’t you think that’s cause for concern? They even took a flier on Jamie Moyer for crying out loud.
Why would the Pirates in a pennant race give away Correia for even less than what Blanton costs? They’ll hold onto him for injury insurance and tell him to stop whining.
Obviously JJ, Garza, Dempster, Beckett aren’t coming to Baltimore…so this is it. Schoop got to #82 in A ball and now is struggling with contact at AA. Calling him the #3 prospect is all well and good, but he’s light years behind #1 and #2, so you can say 3-10 are bunched up and pretty interchangeable.
You’re really discrediting a 20 year old struggling in AA? Especially since he’s been turning it around the last month, posting over .800 OPS in July? He’s one of the youngest players in the Eastern League, so he was obviously going to struggle at first.
Schoop is going to be a major league regular, and giving him up for a rental thats a little bit better version of Tommy Hunter would be crazy.
Fine…keep Schoop, who will not be in the top 100 next year, miss the playoffs, keep playing for next year, etc, etc.
Weren’t Matusz and Arrieta untouchable 1-2 years ago and now everyone is praying that San Diego is foolish enough to take them for Headley?
Now Bundy and Machado are untouchable and there’s no guarantee they won’t be the next Matusz and Arrieta.
For those clutching onto every home grown guy, it’s time to decide whether you’re Orioles fans or Keys/Baysox fans
It’s not about irrationally clutching onto every home grown guy.
It’s about not giving up a very good prospect for 10 starts from a mediocre pitcher who is a virtual lock to give up 15 homers and post a 5.00+ ERA in the American League.
Clearly, Ron knows nothing about Schoop aside from his Baseball America ranking and his batting line.
Have to be realistic in trades, especially in trades like this. He’s a back of the rotation arm who will get 10-11 starts the rest of the way and isn’t signed beyond this year. Even teams looking for their first post-season appearance in over a decade won’t part with a top 5, probably not even top 10 prospect, for a back of the rotation arm.
You do understand how the luxury tax works right? If they go over it this year, which they will, they will pay a 17% tax for a losing season…
THEN a 30% luxury tax for next year. It’s unavoidable… they’re going to have to be over the luxury tax next year if they want a competitive team on the field. There’s no possible way for them to avoid the luxury tax without dumping Lee and Pence.
I don’t get it. The O’s don’t want to trade a 20 year old prospect hitting .244 in double A. There’s no guarantee on a prospect. Blanton is a solid pitcher and has a resume of being an excellent second half pitcher. If you want to be a serious contender then sometime you have to take a chance.
I think you greatly underrate Schoop and overrate Blanton.
Schoop was in Keith Law’s Top 100 going into the year … and 20 isn’t old for AA.
Blanton isn’t any more than a 2 month rental 5th starter in the AL East and certainly isn’t a significant upgrade over the Orioles other options.
I’m not saying 20 is old for AA. My point is he’s a prospect. Plenty of top 100 prospect flop. I’d rather trade for a known entity if I have a chance to win as opposed to holding on to an unknown entity in the hope that he can help 3 or 4 years from now. Too many variables in that and to me would only be worth it if I’m building for the future.
If you’re trading for a quality known entity, then sure. But this is Joe Blanton we’re talking about.
He’s a mediocre pitcher who gives up a ton of hits and home runs in the National League. And he posted a 5.00+ ERA outside of his massive home stadium in his last two and a half years in the American League. And we’re talking about this guy moving to the AL East for a pennant race against teams that have lit him up in the past (Boston and New York, specifically).
Anyway, the Orioles are building for the future. Sure they’re trying to win now too, because they have a shot at a Wild Card, but they’re not going to give up a Top 100 prospect for 10 starts from a #5 starter who will be gone at the end of the year.
Blanton has been a very strong 2nd half pitcher over his career. I guess the O’s can just stand pat and hope for the best. Next year the Red Sox will have re-tooled, the Yankees will still be the Yankees, and there’s a good chance the Rays will improve. So welcome back 4th place. I’d personally rather take the chance to win while it’s there. There’s a much better chance that Schoop won’t amount to more than a utility player than there is of him being the next Bryce Harper. Top 100 prospects are over rated especially when they’re just past teenage years. Too much can happen. For everyone one that makes it, I can name 5-10 that don’t. If he were 23 years old and a Top 100 prospect, there’d be a better chance of him being legit and I’d be less trigger happy. Let’s chat again in 3-5 years and see where Schoop ended up.
Blanton for Schoop would be a stretch if Phils ate Joe’s salary, but they’re not in this proposal.
Ok, so Miguel Gonzalez just had a pretty decent outing on the road vs the Yankees. If the O’s were to acquire Blanton, who does he replace? Tommy Hunter?
Joe Blanton for Nestor Aparcio and you have a deal Philly
I wonder why the O’s are so interested in Blanton. His record is below .500, given up 22 HRs and carries a 4.59 ERA. Does Dan Duquette really have any knowledge at all? If he’s putting up these pathetic stats in the NL, I can only imagine how beat up he’ll get in the powerhouse AL East.
Blanton isnt the upgrade i would hope for, but i dont think its a bad move. Dude can eat innings and has some upside if he can learn to keep the ball in the park. He obviously is being agressive in the zone if he has that many HR allowed and so few walks. If he can be had for something reasonable i say go for it Duq
Blanton isnt the upgrade i would hope for, but i dont think its a bad
move. Dude can eat innings and has some upside if he can learn to keep
the ball in the park. He obviously is being aggressive in the zone if he
has that many HR allowed and so few walks. If he can be had for
something reasonable i say go for it Duq