Not heard about blanching and botchalism, but we just froze them raw. We didn't eat them raw after defrosting as they were always cooked in some way; sauces, stews, etc.
They lasted for months, and no illnesses!
Over the past 2 years, we've been bagging and freezing tomatoes in resealable bags & they seem to keep fresh-tasting done like this. I suppose this doesn't limit us to what we use them for.