The Philadelphia Phillies have secured yet another man in their rotation for at least the next three years after signing right-hander Joe Blanton to a three-year, $24 million dollar extension. After trading for ace Roy Halladay this offseason, the Phillies are surely the favorite to repeat in the National League East. However, the Blanton deal baffles me. How can he possible be worth that much money? He is an OK pitcher who can be pretty good at times, but $8 million per season for a guy with a lifetime ERA of 4.21! I guess signing an average pitcher, who is RIGHT-HANDED, is not an easy thing to do. If he was left-handed and could throw 90 mph, maybe I could understand this move, but he's not that at all.Free agent pitcher Joel Piniero also signed for a price similar to Blanton and this was equally hard to believe. The Angels felt like a two-year, $16 million deal was reasonable, even though Piniero hasn't had that great of a career. He did have a good 2009, but that could be credited to Dave Duncan, the best pitching coach in the game. Maybe these guys ARE worth the money, considering how dominant the offenses are in this era. Either way, something doesn't sit right with me when Joe Blanton and Joel Piniero are raking in this kind of cash. I will try not to be surprised when the next ridiculous free agent signing or extension takes place.
Shawn Marosek
2 comments:
Starting pitchers simply get paid no matter how much they suck. Thank Omar Minaya for giving Oliver Perez $12million a year.
no one should make that much unless they are saving lives
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