Dodgers sign Joe Blanton to 1-year, $4 million deal

According to Jeff Passan, the Dodgers have added Joe Blanton on a one-year deal.

Source: Joe Blanton, Dodgers agree to one-year, $4 million deal.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 19, 2016

While many baseball fans remember Blanton as a mediocre starter, he reinvented himself as a shut-down reliever in 2015. In 76 innings between the Pirates and Royals, Blanton pitched to the tune of a 2.84 ERA, a 2.92 FIP, and a 1.1 fWAR. He had a K/9 of 9.36, a BB/9 of 1.89, and a HR/9 of just 0.83.

Blanton's average fastball velocity in 2015 was the highest of his career, which was likely the result of him moving to the bullpen. After pulling out of the trade for Aroldis Chapman, the Dodgers still felt they needed to upgrade their bullpen, and Blanton undoubtedly helps accomplish that goal. They'll likely also have Alex Wood as a reliever in 2016, as their signings of Scott Kazmir and Kenta Maeda pushed him down the starting pitcher depth chart.

In 2015, the Dodgers had the 8th most valuable bullpen, but 84 percent of that value came from Kenley Jansen and Pedro Baez. By adding Blanton, and likely Wood, to their core of relievers, Los Angeles will have much more depth in the bullpen for 2016.