Blanton, A's avoid arbitration

Oakland A's right-hander Joe Blanton, who's been among trade talks since Dan Haren was dealt to Arizona, signed a 1-year $3.7M deal on Friday, avoiding arbitration.

Blanton finished with a 14-10 record and a 3.95 ERA in 34 starts in 2007.

The A's also avoided arbitration with closer Huston Street on Thursday, agreeing to a 1-year $3.3M deal for 2008.

MLB Notes

Here are some of the latest news from Jim Molony of MLB.com:

Oakland - The A's appear unlikely to trade right-hander Joe Blanton prior to the start of the 2008 season. According to a team source, the A's would need to get a lot more in return than what's currently being offered.


Baltimore - The Orioles are still being linked to the Seattle Mariners in talks for left-hander Erik Bedard. The Orioles have been trying to get reliever Brandon Morrow in the deal but will settle for 2007 Minor League Pitcher of the Year Chris Tillman. Baltimore also wants reliever George Sherrill in the deal as well.


Braves: Atlanta Braves GM Frank Wren is hoping to announce Mark Kotsay as their new center fielder sometime this afternoon. Wren says they're also looking for another reliever, "There's a couple of deals that we're working on right now and a couple of things that we'll continue to talk about until we feel that we've exhausted many of the offseason discussions."

Also, the Braves feel confident that they will get left-handed reliever Mike Gonzalez back from Tommy John Surgery sometime in June, though they want to add more experience to a young bullpen.


Pedro Feliz - The Brewers, Phillies and Dodgers are said to be interested in Feliz. He has told the Giants that he wants a 3-year deal to return to San Francisco, they countered at 2-years and seem prepared to fill the position internally, possibly with Kevin Frandsen.

Mets still interested in Blanton

According to the NY Daily News, the New York Mets are still interested in talking to Oakland about right-hander Joe Blanton, if the A's decide to move him.

A's GM Billy Beane confirmed that the Mets have asked to keep them in mind if he does decide to talk about a deal for Blanton saying "the Mets are interested in doing something there and to keep them in mind, just as it was with Haren."

With the A's in full rebuilding mode, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if the A's did trade Blanton, especially if they can get at least 2 top prospects in return after getting 6 from Arizona in their trade for Dan Haren.

MLB Report (Oakland A's)

With all the talk leading up to ace Dan Haren being traded to Arizona, I asked Contra Costa Times' Joe Stiglich about the possibility of Joe Blanton following him out the door.

Baseball-Rumors: Are the A's still shopping Blanton at this point and what teams are involved in those discussions? Also, are the A's asking for multiple prospects in return or are they wanting major league talent?

Joe Stiglich: The A's stay very tight-lipped about everything regarding trades/free agency, etc., so it's tough to gauge. I think they're taking a similar approach that they took with Haren: Set the asking price very high and see if anyone bites. Looking at the thin pitching market, I think the A's feel they've got a very hot commodity in Blanton, and they don't want to give him up unless the package dazzles them. The Mets are a team that seems like a great fit for him, but reportedly those talks have cooled. I would think the A's could ask for at least one ML-ready player -- especially since most of the guys they got for Haren are so young -- but who knows? They seem to really want to stockpile prospects.

Mariners have Blanton on their radar

According to ESPN's Buster Olney, the Mariners could be interested in trading for A's right-hander Joe Blanton.

Olney says a package from Seattle would have to center around Adam Jones.

Will the Yankees pull their offer for Santana?

Ken Rosenthal reports that the Yankees could pull their offer off the table for Johan Santana if they don't hear, one way or the other, by the end of the day Monday.

I have a very hard time believing the Yankees will pull their offer by Tuesday morning. I know there's talk that the Yankees could turn to Dan Haren or Joe Blanton of the Oakland A's, but they're no Johan Satana. I don't think the Yankees can afford to watch the Red Sox make this deal and have to face Santana next season.

Price will be high for Haren, Blanton

According to ESPN's Jayson Stark, the A's may ask a high price for pitchers Dan Haren or Joe Blanton if teams come calling. Sources say A's GM Billy Beane could ask the Yankees for 2 of Philip Hughes, Joba Chamberlain or Ian Kennedy.