When the offseason began the Los Angeles Dodgers’ top free-agent priorities were clearly Rich Hill, Kenley Jansen and Justin Turner. To this point the club re-signed Hill and Turner, and reportedly agreed to terms with Jansen.
Beyond the trio, Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi identified relief pitcher Joe Blanton as another key target for the club this winter. The right-hander signed a one-year deal with the Dodgers last January, joining the team for a second time in his career.
But Blanton this time worked as a relief pitcher, building on the success he had in that role with the Pittsburgh Pirates during the second half of the 2015 season.
As one of the top relievers still on the open market, interest in Blanton is beginning to gain steam and a reunion with the Dodgers remains a plausible scenario, per ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick:
Interest in Joe Blanton is picking up now that several elite relievers have gone off the board. Return to #Dodgers a possibility.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) December 27, 2016
After missing out on Aroldis Chapman and Jansen, the Miami Marlins reportedly had Blanton as one of their top targets. However, the club instead signed Brad Ziegler to a two-year, $16 million contract.
Blanton went 7-2 with a 2.48 ERA, 3.33 FIP and 1.01 WHIP in 75 appearances, and posted an ERA under 2.10 in four of six months this season. Although the initial plan had Blanton working as a swingman, he emerged as a key late-inning reliever for manager Dave Roberts.
Opponents hit just .194/.263/.310, and Blanton averaged nine strikeouts per nine innings. He did however struggle against the Chicago Cubs during the National League Championship Series, hanging sliders at inopportune times.
That resulted in Blanton finishing with a cumulative 7.88 ERA in seven postseason appearances. While the Dodgers do need to put finishing touches on their bullpen, the club reportedly is only willing to sign relievers to one-year contracts.
