This is a good deal for a lot of reasons. One, as discussed ad nauseum in the previous Joe Blanton thread, our man Cookies has been very durable and, while he'll never be confused with a Cy Young candidate, he's definitely a well above-average starting pitcher. Two, he's past the early/mid-20s "injury nexus" and, at 29 on Opening Day, this deal will only take him through his age 31 season. Third, solid as his 2009 season appeared, his peripherals portend even better things going forward (increased K/9, bad luck on HR/FB).
A tip of the cap to Ruben & Co. for getting this one done quickly and apparently rather painlessly.