Phils Are Fatty-Chasers

I know I'm extremely late in getting to this whole Joe Blanton business, but I was bombarded with work this morning at my real job. Real jobs suck.



Anyway, onto the move. While it's certainly nowhere near the CC/Harden area on the improvement charts, it's a move that absolutely had to be made for the Phils. Of all the pitchers out there, Blanton was the best choice in my opinion. A.J. Burnett, while supremely talented, has a history of injuries and is more streaky than Deebo's underwear. Erik Bedard, another starter with a lot of talent, is currently on the DL and really not that great.

Certainly, Blanton has had his struggles this season. Currently, he's a Eaton/Myers-esque 5-12 with a 4.96 ERA. His strikeout to walk ratio (62 Ks to 35 BBs) is pretty awful, and like Myers, he was the A's opening day starter and has struggled since. It's been a rough year for the hefty right-hander. But, as Tim Kurkjian pointed out on "Baseball Tonight" last night, Blanton pitched very well against the Phils and the Mets this season. If he can keep pitching well against NL East competition, that is a big bonus.

Also, Blanton has had a great deal of success in his career. In his first full season in 2005, The big boy went 12-12 with a 3.53 ERA. Not bad. In '06 he won 16 games, and last year, he was 14-10 with a 3.95 ERA and a career-best 140 strikeouts (with only 40 walks). In the last three years, he's averaged more than 200 innings pitched, and he's well on pace for that again this season.

Another plus is he is just 27 years old, which means he should be coming into his prime pretty soon here. Considering the Phils only gave up three minor leaguers, none of which included top prospects Lou Marson, Greg Golson or Carlos Carrasco, the risk was extremely worth taking. This team needed another arm badly. Hopefully, Blanton will regain his form from the last three years. Maybe all he needed was a change of scenery and a chance to compete—like Brad Lidge. Either way, it's a good move by all accounts. And he sure looks good warming up, am I right people?



And as an added bonus, this could mean the incredibly long overdo demotion of Adam Eaton, either to the bullpen or the minor leagues. I hope it's the latter. That guy sucks.

So, as a Phillies fan that desperately wants nothing more than to see the Mets miss out on the playoffs for the second consecutive year, I welcome you Joe Blanton, in all your overweight glory. You'll fit well in the city that is the home of the cheesesteak and soft pretzel. As long as you don't suck.