Joe Blanton released!

[Inside Pitch]

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24501422/angels-say-uncle-release-joe-blanton

 

 

I laughed at the headline   "Angels say, uncle"

[Tank]

Thank goodness!

[nando714]

[Jay]

Mathis... Blanton... who's the next goat?

[Stradling]

This sucks for Arte but great for the team. Where does the line start for all of us who were absolutely sure he was a lock to make the team? Early in the off season I thought he would be our new shitty version of Jerome Williams. After hearing Dipoto talk at fanfest I knew it was a matter of time.

[gurn67]

Plan A: "Hey Joe, why don't you move to the other side of the rubber and see if that helps."

Plan B: "Hey Joe, why don't you move a little further and see if that helps. No, that's okay, just keep moving and we'll tell you when to stop."

[nando714]

Arte...

[Ochocinco!]

Best Birthday present I could ever ask for..

[gotbeer]

God, do I even want to know if a team like the Astros or Marlin has a total team payroll lower than that?

 

No not this year.  Astros are lowest at $44 million.

[fan_since79]

Baseball Reference has Blanton rated #1,106 all-time among pitchers, just two spots behind Chris Capuano.

[Angel Oracle]

Smart move in light of his struggles in his most recent start

 

Yet another of many smart moves made since the off-season, as this org puts the bad moves of a year ago more into the rear view mirror.    Plus, if they can release Appier and $16 million and essentially release GMJ and his $20 million, then Blanton's $8 to $8.5 million won't be a problem. 

[DB24]

[gurn67]

Sadly though, I would put the over/under on Blanton's wins against the Angels in 2014 at 1.5.

[fan_since79]

Arte has plenty of money. The team itself is worth at least three times what he paid for it, in CASH, back in 2003. He'll easily absorb these losses.

[Tyler]

 

[WallyWorld]

well I'll gladly eat crow, because even after the Alvarez trade I thought they would keep Joe around.

[Stradling]

I did love what Jerry said about Blanton at Fan Fest. He said Joe had to perform to make the team, but that's not the part I liked. He also said that Joe had a bad baseball season, that doesn't make him an evil person. That's the part I liked. I know we talk about hate and sports hate on here. I truly think that some fans on here took it personal when he performed poorly. It went beyond sports hate. I know we aren't suppose to feel bad for millionaires (I guess), but whenever a career ends there is sadness there, regardless of how poorly he performed. There will come a time when all of us become less productive than we once were and we will have to step aside, that won't be enjoyable for us either.

[Jim]

The FO plans went perfectly. They gave an 8.5 million dollar player a chance to show he wasn't a waste of time. He couldn't do that so they cut bait and turned the page. Good for us.  

Edited March 26, 2014 by Jim

[Jason]

Moving in the right direction

[Chuck]

 

 

 

LOL

 

Keep the .GIFs coming! 

[Aaronkv]

How long until Texas picks him up and he throws shutouts vs the Angels?

[Jim]

Baseball Reference has Blanton rated #1,106 all-time among pitchers, just two spots behind Chris Capuano.

Haha, no doubt. Glad we dogged that bullet as well. Two good moves for Dipoto.

[Chuck]

Bill Shaikin ‏@BillShaikin 1m

#Angels will pay Vernon Wells and Joe Blanton $27 million not to play for them this year.

 

Not my money...and I'm glad it isn't

 

Next year will be a serious SIGH of financial relief. 

 

But really, the money hasn't stopped the Angels from having a really good team going into this season, so it's still not a concern. 

[Docwaukee]

The only thing that could make this better is if he signs with Texas

[gurn67]

Next year will be a serious SIGH of financial relief. 

 

But really, the money hasn't stopped the Angels from having a really good team going into this season, so it's still not a concern. 

Trout and his agent have already put a value on that SIGH.