A Joe Blanton Blue Light Special?

Joe Blanton up on the auction block? Not surprising. An interested trade partner? Somewhat intriguing. The Blue Jays GM Alex Anthroupolos reportedly spent a few innings in Clearwater while Blanton was on the mound over the weekend. But we all know GMs and scouts flip flop around different Spring Training complexes all month long.  Why is this a deal worth noting?

• The Phillies are up against the luxury tax and selling off Blanton frees up space for any in season moves that might be necessary. With sources reporting that the Phillies are willing to eat up to $2M in salary, the savings could be in the $6.5M neighborhood. In recent years, Ruben's been able to stretch that kind of money pretty far. With the prospect farm running pretty low, any mid season wheeling and dealing done by Amaro will likely involve picking up a few more dollars worth of salary than the Phillies have had to do in years past. While like to hope that the puzzle pieces needed for a championship are the kind of guys the Phils picked up in the offseason, $6.5M is a nice luxury to have when your first baseman is in a walking boot, your second baseman hasn't played a game yet this Spring, and your third baseman is a faberge egg.

• This indicates that the Phillies have confidence in moving Kyle Kendrick back into the rotation. Initial reports (and by that I mean the stuff I read on Twitter) indicate a pretty effective cutter out of Kendrick so far this spring. Also, by picking up a whole host of veteran arms in the offseason, they even have a few experienced backups to KK. Joel Piniero (who can opt out of his contract at the end of the month if not on the big league roster), Dave Bush, Scott Elarton, Pat Misch, etc. represent a questionable, but experienced group of "Plan C's." Two weeks into Spring Training, a stockpile of well traveled arms isn't a bad problem to have. Kendrick to Blanton is still a risky swap with KK's success last year largely attributable to being the benefactor of a ridiculously low BABIP. But relying on a guy with elbow problems has inherent risks of its own. Worse case scenario, that Oswalt guy is still unemployed and quite frankly $6.5M might come close to getting it done.

• In my speculative mind, though, the biggest key here is the guy I mentioned above sitting in the stands.  Having Toronto as a somewhat interested trade partner is beneficial because they have a commodity the Phillies have already shown some interest in with Travis D'Arnaud. Now there's no reason to believe that a deal like this is remotely possible, and it would absolutely take more than Joe Blanton, but damn if the idea of having a catcher of the future once again doesn't sound appealing to me. I like cheering on Chooch as much as the next guy, but we have a33 year old starter (and that's a Panamanian 33!) and a 35 year old backup with next to nothing in the immediate pipeline. D'Arnaud is considered to be major league ready but blocked by an equally young catcher in JP Arencibia. One of the two is a luxury the Blue Jays can afford to part with and in the right system, either of them could be successful. Even is the Blue Jays decided that Arencibia was the one they'd prefer to flip, his 20 HR 80RBI power could look pretty nice in pinstripes and his caught stealing rates are very similar. His .219 BA last year... well, let me remind you that the Phillies won a World Series in 2008 with a catcher that hit .219. Not to say Ruiz is done, but a backup plan behind the plate would be nice!

Your 2011 Phillies: Fantasy Baseball Outlook Part 1

C - Carlos Ruiz:
The guy had the best year of his career in 2010 and is priced so cheap in most leagues that he's tempting to snatch up. But as impressive as his clutch performance has been, it doesn't earn you extra fantasy points. Single digit HRs and 50 RBI are about the going rate for any catcher with a full time job. Chooch is certainly capable of repeating his 2010, but that still doesn't make him a viable option in anything but the deepest of mixed or NL only leagues.

1B - Ryan Howard
I've gone back and forth almost a dozen times on my Ryan Howard opinion. First Base is an incredibly deep position where the difference between Adrian Gonzalez in round 2 and Justin Morneau in round 7 might not be all that much. But I have a feeling that Ryan Howard is about to find his stroke once again. His strikeout rate has dropped significantly over the last two years and his spring numbers suggest that he's putting good wood on the ball. Few of his counterparts work as hard as Howard at improving his flaws and as a guy who has been dropping down draft boards, 40 HR and 125+ RBI are starting to look like a real bargain after the 2nd round.

2B - Chase Utley
A month ago, he's the 2nd best second baseman in the game and being drafted in the first round. Now, I won him in an auction league for $12 last Friday. The knee is worrisome, but at middle infield spots, there isn't a plethora of other options better than Chase. It's still looking as if surgery is the less likely scenario and I'll predict 130 games for Chase this year. What can he possibly do in 130 games? Well in 2007 he hit .332, had 22 HRs, and 100+ Runs and RBI. A one legged Chase Utley is still capable of elite numbers for his position. While he should fall down a few rounds, he's worth it if his value is deflated enough.

SS - Jimmy Rollins
2007 Jimmy Rollins is dead. He'll never be a 30/30 guy again, and he'll never knock you in 90 runs. While some owners are likely to take a shot at him because the potential is still there for him to perform like a Jose Reyes, I'm going to tell you not to. You'll only be disappointed. While Jimmy has been regressing, the rest of the world has caught up to him. Shortstop isn't an incredibly deep position, but there are a handful of guys out there who will give you 75 R, 20SB, and 15HR which is about Jimmy's upside. Pass on Rollins and take a risk on Starlin Castro instead.

3B - Placido Polanco
Possibly the most scarce position in fantasy baseball this year, third basemen are hard to come by. After Longoria/Zimmerman/Arod/Bautista fall off the board, your options plummet. That still doesn't make Polanco a viable one. His position eligibility at 2nd base boosts his value as a middle infielder and his elbow injury isn't really anything that should concern you, but he is what he is. I love him on my real team, but wouldn't want him clogging up my fantasy team.

LF - Raul Ibanez
I'm one of the few guys who see some value here. Raul has a history of streaky behavior while in a Phillies uniform. But one thing that has been prevalent throughout his career is that a hot spring = a fast start to the season. Guess what? Raul is hitting the ball well this spring. Draft him and ride the wave until his first epic slump occurs. At the end of the year he'll put up the usual 25 HR, 85 RBI, .275 batting average but it will most certainly have its ups and downs.

CF - Shane Victorino
Power/Speed guys are hard to come by. But speed guys are becoming more prevalent. I'm not quite sure which category to put Victorino. 18HRs with 34SBs in 2010 puts him in the first category so if you think he's capable of a repeat, go for it. I still think he's a notch below guys like Andrew McCutchen and Shin-Soo-Choo, but if he can hit .280 and put up similar numbers to last year, he's worth a lot more than you might think.

RF - Ben Francisco
For the sake of this post, I'm assuming Ben Francisco is your starting RF for the entire season. He's likely going for dirt cheap in just about every league. While he's never had one particular year that jumps out at you, his 162 game career averages aren't all that bad. 18 HR and 12 SB are easily attainable, and 65 RBI are a low estimate. He'll likely start the season batting 5th which should give him plenty of opportunities to drive in runs. Comparable to Jayson Werth? No, probably not. But most of the same tools are there. In a deep league, he's worth a flier.