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Baseball Primer Newsblog— The Best News Links from the Baseball Newsstand
Friday, August 03, 2012
Reportedly the Dodgers are assuming all of Blanton’s salary. The Dodgers acquired pitcher Joe Blanton in a trade with the Phillies on Friday after Los Angeles claimed the veteran right-hander off waivers. The Phillies will receive a player to be named later or cash considerations in the deal.
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1. Belfry Bob Posted: August 03, 2012 at 06:13 PM (#4200137)Under the waiver rules, wouldn't National League teams in this instance get the first bite at the apple?
That would be sort of funny if some major league team went mad with power and just claimed everybody.
This is not the issue with Lee. The Dodgers would gladly pay Lee if all they have to do is pay the salary. They're looking to contend now and into the next 3 or 4 years.
The issue, instead, is that the Phillies traded Blanton for a PTBNL or cash - basically for nothing. The Orioles could have had Blanton if they'd agreed to pay his whole salary. So clearly, as you said, the O's didn't want Blanton that much. (Or Angelos didn't want to pay the salary?)
The Phillies appear to have been intent on cutting payroll. They made the Dodgers and Giants take over in full the contracts of Victorino, Pence, and Blanton.
You sure about that? His remaining salary (plus what's left this year) is 3/$87 or 4/$102. That's a lot of money to gamble on Cliff Lee still being CLIFF LEE for (most of) ages 34-37. If the Dodgers claimed Lee, the Phils have to be quite tempted to just let him go. What's the likely return in trading Cliff Lee and $30 M to the Dodgers? Can't be good. On the other hand, if the Phils just let him go, they're kinda writing off the next few years given the limited pitchers available in the next few FA markets. On the third hand, if they keep him, they're taking the Lee gamble.
Actually no they couldn't (at least in theory). If the Phils just wanted to get rid of Blanton's salary, they'd have just let the waiver claim operate. Instead they traded Blanton, all of his salary and got some small extra return. Frankly it seems kind of a silly risk for the Phils to take -- a meaningless extra return vs. the risk the Dodgers decide not to trade for Blanton.
(If the PTBNL turns out to be someone good, I'll take this back, but if it was someone good, there almost certainly wouldn't be the "or cash" option.)
I think either you misunderstand something, or I do. From my understanding, the Orioles couldn't have had Blanton, regardless. The Dodgers claimed him, and their claim had priority over the Orioles' claim (if the Orioles even claimed him). Therefore, the Phillies' options were to either let the Dodgers have him, pull him off waivers and make a trade with the Dodgers, or pull him off waivers and keep him. The Orioles aren't a factor at all.
I agree the Phils will get next to nothing in return but ...
The Phils not only wanted to get rid of all of Blanton's salary, they wanted a little something extra in return too. I agree that if the O's had been willing to do that deal, it presumably would have happened.
But if all the Phils wanted to do was get rid of Blanton's salary, they would have just let the waiver process run and they'd have shed all his salary. They apparently were OK with retaining Blanton if they couldn't trade his salary and get a little something back.
Why they would be sticklers on wanting something trivial back I can't say. (as you say, unless the PTBNL is significant which presumably would mean the "cash considerations" would be significant.)
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