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…the buzz from oakland had long been that if the A’s decided to trade Dan Haren, and did, they would next look to trade Joe Blanton, as well…
…last week, haren was traded to Arizona…as such, from what i can gather, several teams, including the Mets, have recently inquired about blanton, who 
will likely cost a step below what the Twins are asking for Johan Santana, such as Philip Humber, Kevin Mulvey and Fernando Martinez, along with at least one other pitcher…for what it’s worth, during the Winter Meetings, i recall hearing that Oakland is not very interested in Mike Pelfrey…
…also, as best i can tell, A’s GM Billy Beane’s so-called ‘love’ for Lastings Milledge had been way, way overhyped by reporters, talk-show hosts, fans and bloggers…basically, beane wanted to draft milledge many years ago, but the Mets did…and in that first year or so, he expressed some interest in acquiring him, but it never panned out and that was that…love affair over…in other words, at no point during the last year was milledge enough to net blanton, as we all assumed he could…
According to Buster Olney at his blog for ESPN.com, the Mariners ‘are in the thick of the bidding’ for Blanton, who could cost them at least OF Adam Jones, who is considered Seattle’s top prospect.
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.
…my guess is that if the Mets need to part with humber, mulvey, another pitcher, and gomez or fernando for blanton, they’ll just bite the bullet, package them all, and keep focus on santana…
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I wouldn’t waste my time with this guy….
Johan only!
Thats a ridiculous package of talent for a guy that had a 4.82 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP two years ago.
Omar, stay far away!!
Just load up the truck and head to Minnesota before the holidays. Make sure you buckle Johan up nice and tight. I wouldn’t want him getting hurt in the car like Sanchez or Glavine.
sad, but TRUE
I haven’t done any Omar bashing-waiting to pass judgement until spring training–but if the difference between a blanton and santana is one pitcher and we don’t come home with the big gun, I won’t be able to restrain myself.
Santana please let Seattle chase Blanton
I could not agree more. If they want to give up Adam Jones, then by all means, please pull the trigger Seattle. Better them than us.
How could we even think of giving up F-Mart in a package for F-Mart. That is just craziness.
I feel similarly…be really hard not to villify Omar if that turns out.
If you’re going to trade Mulvey, Humber and FMart or Gomez then just go after Santana.
i’d want blanton if he was a free agent, but if you are dealing all those chips, you better be bringing johan back…..
+5
there is no starting pitching available or it’s way too expensive. omar build up the bullpen (trade for nathan). sign otsuka to a one-year deal.
wagner
nathan
sanchez
heilman
feliciano
otsuka
sosa/no-show
I agree. The bullpen wins championships. If we can’t get Johan, get Nathan and sign a Livan-Freddy Garcia for the rotation.
Otsuka is damaged goods.
no kidding. that’s why the rangers didn’t tender him. the mets can afford to take a $4m or $5m 1-year risk. they’re not the rays or royals.
but thats half of what we’re gonna pay Lohse next year..lol
Just get Prior and focus our prospects on landing Santana.
billy beane is doing a good job of taking advantage of this market hes gonna end up getting about 8-10 prospects for blanton and haren. honestly if we get blanton just so we can hang on to pelfrey instead of adding him and getting santana its a joke.
he really is. what he got haren is unbelievable. teams are just eating out of his palm, buying all that crap. haren had one dominant half a season, then fell apart. before that he was a pretty decent pitcher.
whats the point of getting Blanton, dont we have enough number 2 and number 3 starters
Because that’s what we do, we get second rate players.
+10
please don’t encourage him
we are witnessing the birth of a new world order in baseball. pitching will no longer be dismissed lightly by “small” marking teams simply because of impending free agency or arbitration. value or free agency it seems.
i guess that’s the way it should be.
Everyone, raise your kids (even girls) to be pitchers. They’re rare commodities
You ain’t kidding!
I’ve got a 21 month old, who I’m starting on as soon as i get home from work. (I think we’ll make him a lefty.)
its all cyclical though eventually big market teams will get tired of giving up a kings ransom for a guy they can sign for just money 12 months later.
Sounds reasonable. But for it to happen…the cost of pitching in free agency must go way up from here.
Seriously…to the point where the Blantons of the world are making $20M and the Santana’s are making $35M.
So most teams just can not afford to sign em. Right now the free agents to be are being gobbled up by their existing teams or are being traded and given contract extensions.
This restricts the market incredibly.
Now if the KC’s and Seattles of the world can not afford to sign their own players for $12M per year deals because they are now $20M per year….then Blanton gets to the open market etc
I see this as taking another 5 years or so.
Blanton is a solid pitcher in the AL….but its a joke to think that a package of maybe Humber,Gomez, and a low level guy couldnt get him….4get about this schmuck……lets just throw a 7 prospect offer to Santana now..set a deadline , and if no trade , just sign either a combo from Prior,Lohse,Livan,Colon,Silva,Chacon and be done with it ….Im still hoping Omar is working with the Brewers though , Sheets would be a gr8 pick up.
with you on this one
+10
Hes so injury prone, we already have to worry about pedro and douque we cant afford sheets health issues too.
In Omar WE TRUST = Quantity not quality.
Do we have enough prospects to get them both? I mean lets just empty the farm and get both of them.
Santana, Pedro, Maine, Blanton and Perez … works for me.
unfortunately no we dont, its pretty much one of the other and considering how similar the packages would be youd have to be crazy to want blanton over santana.
Maybe Omar is going nuts…anyone else notice his eyes when he gets interviewed..they move rapidly all over..he never looks @ Matt, or those guys directly, Lohse for 3 years @ 10MM..KOO KOO, KOO KOO…Maybe we as “die hard” fans should all chip in and buy a billboard spot in NYC that says something to the effect of “Omar make a move that helps the team in the areas most needed , or get the F out of town , and take Willie w/ya!”
Im up for donating a few bucks for a billboard to be found on the GCP or something. Basically begging the METS to find a way to do a deal for Santana.
Count me in for $50
Though if we can get Prior and Colon, and let them fight it out and see who makes it out of ST alive.
But, Blanton is dependable. Dependability means alot.
Dependable?? we will have to line the base paths w/jelly doughnuts to get him to run a ground ball out hard….have u seen this cow?? Noway can he bat and run the bases….but it might be pretty humourus to hear Keith and Gary chatting about while were 8 games out in August.
hahahhahahhahahhahahaha
sign up Wells & Colon and we can get more mileage out of the donuts.
Those 3 in line fighting over a biscuit at the pregame buffet would be absolutely hilarious
Thank you. I haven’t laughed that hard in a looong time.
If the Mariners are willing to trade their #1 prospect 4 a perenial #3 starter, maybe Omar should call them and see what they would want for king Felix?? Morons
He’s #3, because he had Rich Harden and Dan Haren in front of him. He’d be a #1 on any team in the NL East (unless Pedro is Pedro of old). His 3.95 ERA in the AL, would probably be 3.05 in the NL. Cut this guy some slack.
smoltz or hudson?
hamels?
Glavine?
lol
jsc, that was a joke right? he’d be the ace on the nats, and so would my grandfather.
Not a big pitcher. According to what Matt wrote, the A’s would want 3/4 of what the Twins are acting for Santana?!!
Pass.
Blanton is not a big pitcher- he is a #3 type.
Either trade for a BIG PITCHER or just do nothing and go with what we have.
But I have no confidence in anything Minaya does anymore…how can any intelligent, sensible Mets fan be confident in Minaya?
He’s just let us down too many times. And no you mor*ns- you don’t get a “lifetime” pass just because you traded for Maine and Perez. He can’t just “live off” that forever and continue to make horrible move after horrible move and just get a pass.
Fire him before he runs this team into the ground anymore than he has.
Yeah, cause of him we have been the divisional favorites for the last 2 years. You guys are crazy, Omar has done a pretty good job, and I still hve faith in the guy.
last time I checked man…divisional favorites doesnt mean squat….dont be a donkey…..I want the title!! Mets 2008 MLB CHAMPIONS…ring ceremony openeg day @ citifield…..ok ok , Im up now…..all just a dream, thanks Omar.
So, in other words, fans should want to fire 29 GMs?
I’ll freely concede, however, that “divisional favorites” means squat. It’s basically been by default, and from June on, last season, we were anything but a contender. Sadly, I think April and May were the aberrations.
i wouldnt spend all those prospects for blanton. s/b santana or bust.
Here’s how I try to remain consistent: unless, say, Gomez and Mulvey bring back Blanton, tell Beane to cram it. The (hypothetical?) availability of Santana for a bushel of B+ers and an A (F-Mart?) is a unique situation. Yes, Blanton, like Santana, is relatively young and durable. Unlike Santana, however, he is NOT one of the top three pitchers in baseball, and doesn’t have nearly the track record or the peripherals. Don’t get me wrong — I was in favor of trading Milledge for Blanton straight up last Winter (even though, apparently, that was entirely media speculation), and I respect his talent. I just don’t think it’s worth giving up multiple prospects (or any real “A”-prospects, like F-Mart) unless it’s for a true ace.
joe blanton is crap and is basically a young trachsel i.e. not worth it
sign prior, trade the farm for johan, see if you can get bay somehow, and sign otsuka
If we’re going to dump the entire farm system, I’d rather do it for Johan and Nathan than Johan and Blanton.
neither is happening.
Dang. Another book length post vaporized!
quick version - Too much for Blanton. Better to go with what we got and build for the future (a sustained run) than to gut the farm for a guy that isn’t worth it (not a difference maker), and potentially not be able to fill upcoming holes.
Better to finish 2nd in a building year and then make the playoffs for 3-4 years (or at least be a serious contender) than to go for broke, just miss, and then stink for 3-4 years after.
Blanton is what I expect heilman to be if they just stick him in the rotation. Maybe Aaron would even be better!
Humber + Gomez seems like plenty to pay for a guy like that, even in this market. If not, keep the prospects and see what happens.
I’d love to beat the drum for an open competition for the fifth starter spot, including Heilman. That said, the bullpen is so thin already, there’s no way they’ll have the guts.
It probably comes down to ST, and what arms are available (pick ups, a guy like Register being ready, Sanchez back, etc.)
If they have the guys to cover the pen, and have the hole, why not give him a shot?
They can always stick Pelfrey or Humber in the pen if they need some mroe development time.
I know, not happening, just my opinion!
Mine, too. It’s the right baseball move. Give the guy a couple ST starts, maybe get his confidence up, and who knows, you could have another effective, relatively young starter?
Heilman is not going to start and shouldnt start. If he gets traded to a team he’s not going to start (unless that team is a bottom dweller). They gave him his chance to start a few years ago and he couldnt handle it. As you guys have said, he’s been a very good setup guy and that we shouldnt trade him because those guys are hard to find, so why start him. Haven’t you guys heard the one about not weakening a strength just to strengthen a weak spot? Besides, you guys keep talking about an innings eater, saying Pelfrey, Humber, or Mulvey, aren’t ready to give you at least 180 innings. Well Heilman has only averaged around 90 innings a year for the past 3 years. What makes you guys think he’s going to be able to double that?
What if we cant get Santana? What if the twinkies have no intention of trading him to the Mets because they think we dont have enough? Some of you guys think those 3 (P,H,M) wont be any better then 4’s or 5’s if any good at all. Calling for them to pick up injured pitchers, or Livan, or Silva to go with OP, Maine, Pedro, and El Duque. If you dont think they’ll amount to much, and we cant get Santana, why not use them to get Blanton? Wouldnt he be better then the the #5 pitchers you’re all calling for? I can’t understand the flip-flopping you guys are doing on these guys.
It’s not “flip-flopping.” Santana is a heck of a lot better than Blanton. No way Blanton merits an A prospect like F-Mart, as well as a bunch of pitchers. We could get a Blanton from our three youngsters. No way we get a Santana.
If you dont think they’ll amount to much, and we cant get Santana, why not use them to get Blanton? Wouldnt he be better then the the #5 pitchers you’re all calling for?
That’s a fair point. An arb eligible guy that we know can pitch at least passably well in the majors, vs. two or three minor leaguers who are cheap question marks, but could potentially develop. I like Pelf and think he’ll develop, but it’s certainly not guranteed (and I have no real opinion of Humber/Mulvey…I was at the game Humber pitched and I liked what I saw on the mound, but who really knows?). I do think either of those options is preferable to signing Livan/Silva.
stupid italics…
I think some of us may be overestimating the Mets’ alternatives in assembling a contender-worthy starting rotation. If you compare Blanton’s numbers last year to Maine and Perez , you’ll see that his performance over 230 innings is on par with theirs over 177 and 191 (he gave up more hits, but less HRs and better SO to BB ration, etc.) Moving to the NL should help him.
So, yes he is not a #1, but if he is another #2 or #3 guy, that certainly is a big upgrade over Kyle Lohse (see earlier post about the Mets having an offer out to him) or last year’s bum-of-the-month club in the #5 spot. Right now, our rotation depends on Pedro coming out strong and staying healthy at his age following serious surgery (I’m optimistic, based on his 4 starts at the end of last year, but this is far from certain), El Duque holding up most of the year, Maine and Perez repeating their big step ups of last year, and someone from among Pelfrey/Sosa/Vargas/??? emerging credibly into the #5 spot. In this context, adding a solid #2/3 guy sounds pretty damn good. And, yes, he will cost some talent, but without such a move, it could be a very long season to a third-place finish.
As for “holding out for Santana”, it appears that the Twins aren’t interested in any package from the Mets that does not incude Reyes, which is a non-starter. Harden’s already gone, Bedard is either staying with the Os or going for a package of prospects bigger than Santana. So Blanton seems like the best starter the Mets have a shot at, unless you’re willing to give 3 or 4 years to Lohse or Silva, or take a year or two ride on Livan. Given those alternatives, I’d go for Blanton.
But Blanton isn’t enough of a sure thing to justify backing up the truck, is the point. (Virtually) any time you trade prospects for an established player, you’re going to be better in the short term, but you do want to think about the long term prospects, as well, and it’s very possible one of our three B+ers can be a Blanton at some point. Then you’re talking about giving up a top prospect for the future in F-Mart, too. It’s just too much.
If we can’t have a sure thing in ‘08, so be it. Do we have a lot of old players who won’t be around to see F-Mart into the league? Of course. But, the real core of the team is young. There’s no reason to pull out all the stops for an incremental improvement. Santana is a special case, but Blanton is not.
“yes, he will cost some talent”
Some is an understatement.
I agree.
But any starter other than the awful batch of free agents will take a lot of talent (the D-Backs traded six to get Haren). So it’s either trade off the talent or pray that Pelfrey, Humber and Mulvey are for real and at least one of them is mlb-ready this year. So far, there’s been no sign of that from MP or PH, and Mulvey’s not there yet.
And if a couple of those guys aren’t performing in our rotation by next year, things will be even worse unless we re-sign Pedro (which will be a too-many-years gamble) and find someone to replace El Duque. I’m very concerned that our rotation is just way too think to really compete. Remember, last year we were .500 over the last four months, and our staff crumbled completely over the last month.
dont get this clown …if omar trades away the farm for this guy im sorry he deserves top be put to sleep
This has to be a back up plan for Santana only.
It’s a horrible plan B….. giving up almost as much as u would to get Santana….I’d take Bloated Blanton…for maybe 2 or 3 prospects , thats all.
We wouldn’t be in this much of a predicament if Duquette didn’t trade a certain LHP who shall remain nameless.
Lets stick with Omar. Hold the chips for Santana…..the best. Don’t squander them on pitchers that are not as good as Maine or Perez. Sign an innings eating free agent as a future tradeble (in 2009 if we can sign a quality free agent then) and use as an insurance policy for 2008.
In Omar we trust. Don’t worry ….be happy.
Im with you on the Santana or Bust parade…though I would extend a similar offer for Bedard who I have liked all along.
You do not drop the farm for Haren or BLanton. Haren is better but not much and both are playing in the worst division in baseball and have a park like shea helping their numbers
No the deal is for the best couple of pitchers in the league and short of that…keep our talent and DEVELOP THEM with urgency and sign a couple of options that either
1) allows Heilman to compete for a rotation spot (sign Dotel type)
2) Sign one of the Livan, Colon, Prior group
3) sign one of the Silva, Jason Jennings, group
So that’s what would cost that much to get a guy who is not better than Maine or Perez…I guess it goes to show what a fleecing Omar did to get those two guys…..Speaking of Omar, can someone wake him up from his hibernation and tell him there is less than 60 days until pitchers and catchers report, and we still need some QUALITY pitching help…and I don’t mean Livan or Colon….
Trade Haren, Blanton…It gets to an end game with Bedard and Santana, with less buyers in the mix. I actually think Bedard gets more valuable because he is controlled for another year or two (depending on who calculates years of service)
THE ONLY PITCHER WE SHOULD BE FOCUSING ON IS SANTANA. IF WE WOULD HAVE TO GIVE UP 4 OR 5 GUYS FOR BLANTON OR EVEN 3 OR 4 WE MIGHT AS WELL GIVE THE EXTRA 2 PLAYERS THE TWINS WANT AND GET THE BEST PITCHER IN THE GAME TODAY. PLEASE GET JOHAN OMAR!
to omar’s credit, he has traded for the equal of haren and blanton (maine and ollie) in the last couple of years + berto and el duque only giving up: benson, julio, nady
imagine getting haren and blanton today for that package. it’s much tougher to trade this off-season.
i’ll have a huge problem with omar if he makes the same mistake as last year: bad contract for bad players: newhan, no-show, mota, sele. i’d rather do nothing than bring in lohse or some mediocre reliever for 3 or 4 years.
omar switch your attention to the bullpen (nathan+otsuka). this is a terrible situation. starters are way over-valued on the market and the mets prospects are way under-valued.
I agree…starters are overrated and our pen could use 1 or 2 more arms just to be safe….but a dependable starter is the most important thing we need, no way can we depend on Pedro or El Duque…..there is just no way , or Pelf or Humber either….we need to sign or trade for a pitcher…Im sure we will…but the question is will it be a Lohse calibur, or Johan calibur(meaning only Sheets//Bedard or him)?