Not getting Blanton should concern fans

[Dark Helmet]

Not because he's an ace, though I think he would have helped more than some suggest. But, because money seemed to have held this up. We may finish at or above .500, and that's great. But those expecting PA to open the checkbook next year to build off that is setting themselves up for even more heartache. By not shelling out a little to get Blanton, says alot. This should atleast extinguish any Zach Grienke rumors before they even hit the HO this winter though. Or any thoughts of the O's going after any premium FA for that matter.

[SteveO]

Think its a legit concern. Guess we will see. While it was reported that money was the primary sticking point it could turn out the Phillies were asking for Hoes or Avery and the O's did not want to part with them. I know it was reported when the O's said they did not want to pay the 3 million and that the Phillies then asked for Schoop. Guess I am wondering if the Phillies asked for Avery/Hoes type AND wanted the O's to pay the salary. If thats the case then I get why they did not make the move. Hopefully details will leak out cause I am curious about this. If it was strictly a money thing...thats not a good sign

[crowmst3k!]

It depends on how well they perform. Tickets are still cheap, and even though attendance has been better, there's still plenty of empty seats on a given night at Camden Yards.

Their operating budget will fall in line with projected attendance, and if they continue to do well, and an upward trend of gate revenue continues, then the purse strings may be loosened a bit.

As of now, I'd bet the Orioles are close to their break-even point after expenses. This team, having made unwise spending decisions in the past (signing Gregg, extending Roberts) has them hamstrung when it comes to their budget. I'm really not surprised that money became an issue in this case.

[bluedog]

Not because he's an ace, though I think he would have helped more than some suggest. But, because money seemed to have held this up. We may finish at or above .500, and that's great. But those expecting PA to open the checkbook next year to build off that is setting themselves up for even more heartache. By not shelling out a little to get Blanton, says alot. This should atleast extinguish any Zach Grienke rumors before they even hit the HO this winter though. Or any thoughts of the O's going after any premium FA for that matter.

I don't agree. The O's opened the wallet for Jones this year so they are willing to spend money and that would seem to be a far better indicator of their willingness to spend big on a FA than whether or not they blew several million on a rental of a mediocre starting pitcher. Yes, the O's are very deliberate with their money, but Angelos has spent in the past (Belle, Tejada, Palmeiro etc.) and will probably do so again.

DD was apparently trying to get Blanton for a minimal outlay of cash and a mid - low level prospect. I don't have a problem with him walking away from a bigger price tag if the Phillies wouldn't budge.

[MurphDogg]

Not wanting to pay Joe Blanton $3 million for the rest of the season because he may not be better than a guy they can pay $150k for the rest of the season is a reasonable conclusion to come to and one that many on the board agree with. The hope is obviously that the money saved here would go towards future signings though one can never prove or disprove whether that has occurred.

[Can_of_corn]

It depends. If the O's were unwilling to add 3 million in payroll to improve the team then that is indeed a problem. If they thought paying 3 million was too much for Blanton considering the prospects they were giving up that is another matter entirely.

We will know come next spring.

[RVAbird]

I think the $ issue here was that Baltimore wanted the flexibility to easily release (or send to the bullpen or place on waivers) Blanton if either he failed or another internal option knocked on the door. I think they would have swapped a C prospect to take him on for free with no financial commitment because they didn't have a ton of faith that he'd do any better than internal options. From what I understand Baltimore really was not aggressive on this. They showed interest, balked at the price, and would have listened if Philly changed their minds. They didn't, and there wasn't a deal to be made. I think the media made this out to be an intense discussion when really it was an expression of interest and a lack of common ground.

I have no problem with this non-trade.

[CA-ORIOLE]

If it's true the Phillies openiing position for Blanton was Schoop, I'm not sure if there was much of a deal there. Also, I'm not sure Hunter and Gonzo are any worse than Blanton.

[Tank]

I'm not concerned about it at all.

[Dark Helmet]

I don't agree. The O's opened the wallet for Jones this year so they are willing to spend money and that would seem to be a far better indicator of their willingness to spend big on a FA than whether or not they blew several million on a rental of a mediocre starting pitcher. Yes, the O's are very deliberate with their money, but Angelos has spent in the past (Belle, Tejada, Palmeiro etc.) and will probably do so again.

DD was apparently trying to get Blanton for a minimal outlay of cash and a mid - low level prospect. I don't have a problem with him walking away from a bigger price tag if the Phillies wouldn't budge.

You bring up good points. But they also signed Markakis and Roberts to deals, but made no moves to build on that. They pick and choose their times. And it seems to revolve around fan favorites, meaning trying to get fans excited enough to buy more tickets,

[SteveO]

I think the $ issue here was that Baltimore wanted the flexibility to easily release (or send to the bullpen or place on waivers) Blanton if either he failed or another internal option knocked on the door. I think they would have swapped a C prospect to take him on for free with no financial commitment because they didn't have a ton of faith that he'd do any better than internal options. From what I understand Baltimore really was not aggressive on this. They showed interest, balked at the price, and would have listened if Philly changed their minds. They didn't, and there wasn't a deal to be made. I think the media made this out to be an intense discussion when really it was an expression of interest and a lack of common ground.

I have no problem with this non-trade.

Makes sense.

[Flash- bd]

Let's put it this way: would you sign Joe Blanton for 60 games--about 12 starts--for 3.2 mil? (which comes out to 8.64 mil for the whole season)

I sure as hell wouldn't.

EDIT: Didn't see this when I posted.

I think the $ issue here was that Baltimore wanted the flexibility to easily release (or send to the bullpen or place on waivers) Blanton if either he failed or another internal option knocked on the door. I think they would have swapped a C prospect to take him on for free with no financial commitment because they didn't have a ton of faith that he'd do any better than internal options. From what I understand Baltimore really was not aggressive on this. They showed interest, balked at the price, and would have listened if Philly changed their minds. They didn't, and there wasn't a deal to be made. I think the media made this out to be an intense discussion when really it was an expression of interest and a lack of common ground.

I have no problem with this non-trade.

Makes sense, thanks for the info, and yeah, glad to hear it. Feeling pretty good about DD again, as I was before the last month and all this (mostly-false) trade deadline talk made me reconsider.

[Dark Helmet]

Not wanting to pay Joe Blanton $3 million for the rest of the season because he may not be better than a guy they can pay $150k for the rest of the season is a reasonable conclusion to come to and one that many on the board agree with. The hope is obviously that the money saved here would go towards future signings though one can never prove or disprove whether that has occurred.

True, but if you don't think Blanton is better than what you already have, why even engage into talks about him?

[crowmst3k!]

The Roberts and Reynolds contracts are really getting in the way.

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=t50_b9iaARDxOK6TPjab3gQ&output=html

[gmelson26]

It depends. If the O's were unwilling to add 3 million in payroll to improve the team then that is indeed a problem. If they thought paying 3 million was too much for Blanton considering the prospects they were giving up that is another matter entirely.

We will know come next spring.

This is exactly where I'm at on the issue. It does concern me but it might be perfectly fine depending on the reasoning behind the decision. Am very concerned its just PA being a tight wade.