Aside from providing the 5th arm in the rotiaton, Blanton could and should be valued as a big trade piece at or about the trade deadline. We know how short the team org is in SSs and 3rd basemen and the trade deadline offers a good opportunity to gain a good prospect or two to attend to those issues.In the meantime, waiting until the July trade deadline would allow Worley to refine his pitching for a call-up at that time. And Blanton would provide a good 5th rotiaton guy until then; should he do well in the first half of the season his value would increase.It is a plan that could yield good rewards. The deadline makes playoff hopefuls willing to spend more than at any other time of the season. IMO, this is one of the big reasons why Blanton is still with the team.Would like to see Mathieson make the 25. How much longer can they delay giving the guy his chance? Make him a part of the pen and allow him to thrive. No further delay needed. His secondary pitch(es) have shown well in ST. It's about time.

by Noemi 08:41:16 AM 2012.06.19