Royals trade pitcher Joe Blanton to Pirates for cash

After Joe Blanton was designated for assignment following the Kansas City Royals’ acquisition of Johnny Cueto from the Cincinnati Reds, the 34-year-old was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates early Thursday morning, according to the team’s official Twitter account.

The Pirates have announced that they’ve designated Vance Worley for assignment to clear space for Joe Blanton.

He is making $1 million this season. He was 2-2 with a 3.89 ERA and two saves in 15 games (four starts) for the Royals, and the righty holds a career 87-91 record and 4.50 ERA in 280 games (252 starts) over 11 seasons with five teams. The Oakland Athletics originally drafted Blanton in the first round in 2002. He has since performed for the A’s, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Angels as well as to the Royals.

Blanton profiles as a long reliever for the Pirates, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio indicates there could be something there. Apparently not. Worley, like several other pitchers whose 25-man spots might have been in jeopardy, was out of options, so the only way for the Bucs to get him off the active roster was to expose him to waivers.

With the Pirates, Blanton projects as a bullpen arm who can help bolster one of the league’s strongest pitching units.