It’s been assumed by pretty much everyone since the Cliff Lee trade that Joe Blanton would be moved to shed salary before the 2011 season. With Vance Worley and Kyle Kendrick waiting in the wings, it seemed that there wouldn’t be much of a talent dip either.
Not so fast, according to PhillyBurbs.com. Amaro had this to say about having to move Blanton to clear space.
I don’t have to do anything … Joe Blanton is part of our rotation and the guys that you see on our roster right now are part of our club. We’ll see where it goes from there.
It’s not as if he hasn’t been shopping Blanton around. There’s just not a market for 30-year-old righties coming off a season where he allowed a .291 batting average to opponents. Not yet at least. Once we get closer to Spring Training and owners start panicking about their own 4th starter spots, they’ll start to put pressure on their GM’s to make a move.
Teams like the Cubs, who could rather dump Carlos Silva’s expiring, or the White Sox, who may need some insurance for Jake Peavy, or even Ed Wade’s Astros, who love to trade with the Phillies and may get jumpy as the spring goes on. Unexpected injury complications could pop up and force the hand of a previously unwilling GM to make the move for Blanton.
It’s certainly not final, but it appears the cool market means Joe Blanton will be a Phillie going into Spring Training.