Yanks Eying Blanton

UPDATE (7:00 p.m.): Joel Sherman reports on his blog that the Yankees did have scouts at the game, but that they were not there specifically for Blanton. He said "the Yankees currently have their scouts out doing normal coverage with no specific area of emphasis."

... So much for that.

The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that "a Yankees scout was at Sunday's game tracking Joe Blanton." The Yankees may need pitching - we've discussed this before - but Blanton isn't the answer.

First of all, dealing with Billy Bean is a nightmare, the asking price for Blanton is going to be way too high. And second, Joe Blanton is highly overrated. Yes, he's 27, and eats innings, but he's a fly ball pitcher, who has benefited from pitching in a huge ballpark, that has a ton of foul ground. His splits give you an indication of what kind of pitcher he may be without the friendly confines of McAfee Coliseum:

Career:
at home - 3.55 ERA
on road - 4.66 ERA

2007:
at home - 2.69 ERA
on road - 5.11 ERA

For what the price will probably be he's not worth it. I'd rather see the Yankees call up Alan Horne later in the year if they need a pitcher.

(hat tip to WasWatching.com for the link)