When Dodgers right-hander Joe Blanton gave up that devastating grand slam home run to Chicago Cubs pinch-hitter Miguel Montero in the bottom of the eighth inning of Game-1 of the 2016 National League Championship Series, followed by a solo home run on the very next pitch to Cubs center fielder Dexter Fowler, there’s a pretty good chance that the last thing every Dodger fans wanted was to ever see Joe Blanton in a Dodger uniform again … ever.

Once the anger – and even more so the heartbreak – subsided, Dodger fans, at least those who know and understand the game, realized that the Dodgers wouldn’t have even been in the 2016 NLCS were it not for Joe Blanton. His 7-2 record in 2016 was the best among all Dodger relievers and his 2.48 earned run average second only to Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen‘s 1.83 ERA among all Dodger relievers appearing in more that 25 games. Let me repeat that – the Dodgers wouldn’t have even been in the 2016 NLCS were it not for Joe Blanton.

No one will ever forget this moment … especially Joe Blanton.
(Photo credit – David J. Phillip)

But with Dodgers pitchers and catchers due to report to Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona for spring training exactly one week from today, Blanton remains an unsigned free agent for 2017.

What’s the hang-up? Why haven’t the Dodgers re-signed their most effective non-Jansen reliever in 2016?

“Blanton’s a guy you could use in the eighth inning, he get’s lefties out as well as righties,” said former MLB manager Kevin Kennedy, on his weekly podcast Inside the Dugout on Tuesday. “My guess is because of the year he had last year, he might be looking for two years and I would bet that the Dodgers want to get him for one. I would bet that’s what the hold-up is, he’s probably looking for a couple of years from somebody.

“He pitched well last year for the Dodgers on a one-year deal, he pitched well for Pittsburgh the year before and I think he wants to parlay those two different years with those two different ball clubs into a two-year deal, if not more,” Kennedy added. “I don’t know if anybody would give him three, but I guarantee he wants a multi-year deal and I’m not sure the Dodgers are willing to do that.”

It appears to be a matter of who blinks first as to whether or not Blanton will re-sign with the Dodgers for 2017. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

The last team that signed the now 36-year-old Bowling Green, Kentucky native to more than a one-year contract was the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim … and it did not end well. In fact, things got so bad for Blanton, who was then used exclusively as a starting pitcher, that the Angels unconditionally released him on March 26, 2014 even though he still had a full season remaining on his two-year / $15 million contract. Fortunately, the soft-spoken and extremely likable right-hander was able to resurrect his career as a reliever and has had remarkable success since – especially last season with the Dodgers.

During last month’s Fan Fest event at Dodger Stadium, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said that he and Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi were continuing to have dialog with Blanton about the possibility of returning to the team for the 2017 campaign. However; since then, the Dodgers signed former Giants closer Sergio Romo which very well may have taken Blanton off of their radar. That said, Romo’s once-dominating effectiveness against both right-handed-hitters and left-handed-hitters has diminished significantly over his nine MLB seasons – all with The Hared Ones – and led to him losing his role as the Giants closer. And although there is no disputing that Romo’s filthy slider is still extremely effective against right-handers, it puts Dodgers manager Dave Roberts in a difficult (and risky) position to use Romo as his eighth-inning set-up man to get to Jansen. That being said, you can bet the farm that Romo will be given every opportunity to do exactly that during spring training.

…if they don’t re-sign Joe Blanton, that is.