When the Dodgers signed veteran right-hander Joe Blanton to a one-year / $4 million contract shortly before pitchers and catchers reported for spring training 2016, it was met with mixed reviews by Dodger fans; most of them negative. After all, the (then) 35-year-old Bowling Green, Kentucky native had been a complete bust in his previous stint with the Dodgers, who had acquired the quiet, 6′-3″ – 225-pound right-hander from the Philadelphia Phillies shortly after the August 1, 2012 waiver trade deadline. In his 10 second-half starts with the Dodgers, Blanton went 2-4 with an unattractive 4.99 ERA while striking out 51, walking 16 and allowing seven home runs in his 57.2 innings of work. As expected, the Dodgers did not re-sign him for 2013.

No one can argue that Blanton’s first stint with the Dodgers wasn’t a complete disaster.
(Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)

Things would get far worse for the 10-year MLB veteran when the Angels signed Blanton to a one-year / $6.5 million contract in 2013. With the Halos Blanton went a dismal 2-14 with an atrocious 6.04 ERA. Again as expected, the Angels did not re-signing him at the end of the season.

Things would get even worse. On March 31, 2014, the Oakland Athletics signed Blanton to a minor league deal and sent him to Triple-A Sacramento where, after two dismal starts for the River Cats, the (then) 33-year-old announced his retirement from baseball. It was the absolute low point of Blanton’s life.

But then something happened, something that can only be described as divine intervention. On February 13, 2015, Blanton was given a one-year / $1 million incentive-laden minor league contract by the Kansas City Royals with an invitation to major league spring training camp. He made the team. And even though Blanton would make only four starts for the Royals (2-2, 5.30 ERA), he absolutely resurrected his career … as a reliever. In 23.0 innings of relief with the Royals, Blanton went 0-0 with an impressive 2.74 ERA while picking up the first two saves of his MLB career. But in spite of this, the veteran right-hander was designated for assignment by the Royals and subsequently traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates (for cash considerations) on July 28, 2015 in order for the Royals to make room on their roster for Johnny Cueto – a move which, of course, helped lead the Royals to a World Series championship. (He did receive a World Series ring, however).

With renewed confidence and a new team, Blanton’s career resurrection absolutely flourished in Pittsburgh. In his 34.1 innings of relief with the Pirates, Blanton posted a phenomenal 5-0 record and 1.57 ERA while striking out 39 and walking nine. His efforts did not go unnoticed … by the Los Angeles Dodgers. In spite of his incredible performance with the Pirates, they elected not to offer him a contract for 2016.

…. but the Dodgers did.

To the utter dismay of Dodger fans who had horrible memories of Joe Blanton version 1.0 (and understandably so), those same Dodger fans were completely unaware of what Joe Blanton version 2.0 had done in Kansas City and Pittsburgh and were shocked when Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi signed version 2.0 to a one-year contract shortly before spring training 2016.

All Blanton did for the Dodgers was go out and post a team-high seven relief wins (against two losses) and a 2.48 earned run average while striking out 80 and walking 26 in his team-high 75 appearances and team-high 80.0 innings of relief. And even though Blanton struggled (mightily) during the 2016 National League Championship Series against the eventual World Series champion Chicago Cubs, the Dodgers wouldn’t have even been in the 2016 postseason were it not for Joe Blanton – period.

This 2016 NLCS photo of Joe Blanton pretty much says it all.
(Photo credit – David J. Phillip)

Although there are rumors that several teams are kicking the tires on the now 36-year-old Blanton, as of this writing he remains an unsigned free agent. And in spite of his struggles in the NLCS, Blanton could very well prove to once again to be a relatively inexpensive gold nugget signing for the Dodgers, should Friedman and Zaidi decide to roll the dice on him one more time.

Stay tuned…