I don't want to get into the habit of quoting myself, particularly something I just wrote a few hours ago. But in the wake of the news that the A's have traded Joe Blanton to the Phillies for three minor leaguers, here's what I wrote (yes) just a few hours ago about Justin Duchscherer …"But if the A's were to trade him and [Huston] Street and Blanton, can you imagine the depth of their young players over the next two or three years? Of course, that would also mean officially giving up on this season."Well, now we don't have to imagine as much. In second baseman Adrian Cardenas and left-handed pitcher Josh Outman, they've added, to their already impressive depth, the No. 2 and No. 4 Phillies prospects entering this season (according to Baseball America). The A's have, within the past eight months, similarly plucked top prospects from the Diamondbacks and the White Sox. Cardenas, only 20, has recently been breezing through the tough Florida State League. Outman, 23, is currently in Double-A and has struck out roughly a batter per inning at each stop in his professional career (though if he remains a reliever, as he has been for most of this season, he's not the prospect he was).I don't think it's quite yet apparent that the A's are giving up on this season, because it's not like Blanton was exactly lighting it up. He was 5-12 with a 4.96 ERA this season, and in Gio Gonzalez and Dallas Braden the A's are not short of candidates for Blanton's slot in the rotation. If Santiago Casilla and Joey Devine are healthy, the A's will have decent candidates for Street's old job if they deal him.The canary in the coal mine is Duchscherer. Once he's gone, the A's are finished this season. But they will -- if they don't already -- have the most impressive group of prospects in the game.Meanwhile, apparently Blanton will replace Adam Eaton in the Phillies' rotation, or at least that's what every Phillies fan must be hoping. Really, it's sort of amazing that Eaton's been allowed to pitch for as long as he has. As a rookie eight years ago, Eaton went 7-4 with a 4.13 ERA. Since then he's never actually been good, and most of the time he's not even been adequate. Since signing his three-year, $24.5 million contract prior to 2007, he's 13-18 with a 6.06 ERA.That's right: three-year contract. The Phillies owe Eaton another $9 million after this season, which does make releasing him now both embarrassing and (thus) difficult. Still, it probably must be done. Sunk costs and all that. Because while Blanton might have been the A's worst starter, he's now one of the Phillies' best.