Buzz: Will Joe Blanton be Available for Trade
At his blog for the ESPN.com, Buster Olney writes that the A’s may move RHP Justin Duchscherer to the starting rotation.
As Tim Dierkes suggests at MLB Trade Rumors, such a move could encourage A’s GM Billy Beane to consider trading RHP Joe Blanton, among others.
During July’s trade deadline, according to Ken Rosenthal at FOXSports.com, the Mets had ‘kicked around the idea’ of trading for Blanton, but the price was ‘too high.’
If you recall, last December, Rosenthal reported that the A’s had discussed trading one of their players with ‘between zero and three years of service time’ for ‘a bounty of even younger prospects,’ and he used Blanton as an example of such a player.
…the buzz in baseball has long been that the A’s continue to eye the Dodgers, who have a lot of young talent and are in need of a durable starting pitcher…
Meanwhile, at Gotham Baseball, Mark Healey has repeatedly written during the last year that if the Mets are to ever make a deal with the A’s it will only be for Rich Harden or Dan Haren.
…if beane continues to ask for milledge, i agree…
This past season for the A’s, Blanton was 14–10 with a 3.95 ERA through 34 starts, during which he allowed an average of just one walk per start.
He has made at least 32 starts in each of his last three seasons.
He is eligible for salary arbitration this off-season, and eligible for free agency after 2010.
