After Washington Nationals GM Mike Rizzo whiffed on any available big-name free agent closers this past offseason, he dove into the bargain bin and dug out Joe Blanton on a one-year, $4 million deal. And even though Blanton – a failed former starter – was entering his age-36 season, a reliever with a 2.65 ERA from 2015-16 still seemed like a solid pickup.
It was not. Blanton was a dumpster fire from the start; his ERA quickly climbed to 11 in April, and did not sneak below eight until after July 4.
Blanton’s real bug-a-boo was the home run.