Phillies' Blanton seeking $10.25 million in arbitration

Plenty of time remains before arbitration hearings begin early next month. And yesterday, after the Phillies exchanged figures with their three eligible players, they appeared relatively close to deals with catcher Carlos Ruiz and centerfielder Shane Victorino.

But the third player, pitcher Joe Blanton, could present the most interesting case since the Phils and Ryan Howard went before a panel of arbiters before the 2008 season.

The veteran righthander, who went 12-8 with a 4.05 ERA in 31 starts last season, has requested a $10.25 million salary for 2010. The Phillies, meanwhile, have offered $7.5 million, putting the two sides a healthy $2.75 million apart.

General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. did not return a phone call seeking comment yesterday.

The Phillies have until at least Feb. 1, when arbitration hearings begin, to sign their three. Victorino, who made $3.175 million last season in his first year of eligibility, requested a $5.8 million salary, while the Phillies offered $4.75 million. Ruiz, who made $475,000 in 2009 and is eligible for arbitration for the first time, asked for $2.5 million, while the Phillies offered $1.7 million.

Usually, the two sides end up agreeing on a deal somewhere around the midpoint of the two figures. The two sides could also agree on a multiyear contract, which would seem likeliest for Victorino, who has 2 more arbitration years before he reaches free agency. If they are unable to reach a resolution, a panel of arbiters will hear arguments from both sides, then pick either the player's or the club's figure.

The Phillies' last arbitration hearing came in February 2008, when Howard was awarded $10 million, which was $3 million more than the Phillies had offered. The second most recent arbitration hearing came in 2001 with then-first baseman Travis Lee.

The Blanton case will be the most interesting to monitor. The midpoint between the two sides is $8.875 million, $25,000 less than the Phillies would have paid the recently departed Cliff Lee and $875,000 less than they will be paying new ace Roy Halladay (as part of the deal that landed Halladay, the Blue Jays agreed to pay $6 million of his $15.75 million salary).

Blanton, who made $5.475 million last season, has been one of the most durable pitchers in the big leagues in his first 5-plus years in the majors, starting at least 31 games and pitching at least 194 innings in each season. Since the Phillies acquired him in July 2008, the righthander is 16-8 with a 4.09 ERA in 44 starts.

For more Phillies coverage and opinion, read David Murphy's blog, High Cheese, at http://go.philly.com/highcheese.