By: Tyler Ward
In a deal on Sunday, the Arizona Diamondbacks traded pitcher Dan Haren to the Los Angeles Angels for pitchers Joe Saunders, Rafael Rodriguez, and Patrick Corbin. Another player from the Angels is expected to be added to the five player swap.
Haren had drawn interest from the New York Yankees and now with him off the market, the Yankees are going to have to go elsewhere to acquire a starting pitcher. There have been rumors involving Joba Chamberlain, who has dropped out of Yankees fans' favor this season. Supposedly, the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers had been interested in Haren, but it is unclear what they would offer for Haren.
Haren has had an up-and-down season for Arizona, having a record of 7-8 with a 4.60 ERA. Not only is he tied for the National League in strikeouts with 141, he is also leading the NL in hits allowed with 161. Haren adds value to a pitching staff that already includes Jered Weaver, Ervin Santana, Scott Kazmir, and Joel Pineiro. The starters have pitched six innings or more in ten consecutive games.
Los Angeles lost first baseman Kendry Morales was lost for the season after tearing his ACL jumping on home plate after hitting a walk-off home run. They are in desperate need of a first baseman, with natural second baseman Howie Kendrick having to replace Morales in the lineup. Their reserves have hit a total of ten home runs this season. If the Angels want to catch the Texas Rangers in the division, they will have to trade for a replacement and pencil Kendrick back at his natural position. It is unknown if the Angels will acquire a first baseman at the trade deadline, but getting Dan Haren is not a bad deal.
Since coming to the Majors in 2003, Haren has played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks, and now, the Los Angeles Angels. In 2004, Haren, Kiko Calero, and Daric Barton were traded to the Oakland Athletics for Mark Mulder. In three seasons with the A's, Haren had a record 43-34. He also placed in the top 10 in strikeouts all three seasons in Oakland. Rumors swirled in 2008 involving Haren, and he was traded to Arizona in a massive eight player deal. As of Sunday, he had posted a 37-26 record with the Diamondbacks, but did not lead them to the postseason. In a little over eight seasons, he is 86-70 with a 3.71 ERA.
He is in the second year of a 4-year/$44.75 million contract that he signed with Arizona and is supposed to make approximately $12.75 million the next two seasons. There is a club option for the fifth year.
The main player, other than Haren, in the deal was pitcher Joe Saunders. He has had a rather lackluster 2010 campaign thus far, posting a 6-10 record with a 4.62 ERA. He and Scott Kazmir are the only starting pitchers for the Angels under .500 (Kazmir is 7-9). However, Saunders has had great back-to-back seasons, whie helping lead the Angels to division crowns in both seasons. He is a combined 33-14 with two complete games in those two seasons. Although he hasn't had a great season, Saunders will add a valuable left arm to the Diamondbacks pitching staff, which has been anything but phenomenal this season.
Rafael Rodriguez has spent most of his career in the minors and has only pitched two innings this year and has given up one run. He played in 18 games last season, posting an 0-1 record with a 5.58 ERA. Patrick Corbin, a 2009 2nd round draft pick, was in Class A and is expected to be fill the same position with the Angels' Class A team. So far this season, Corbin is 13-3 with a 3.87 ERA with Cedar Rapids and Rancho Cucamonga.
The Angels had expressed in hitters like Prince Fielder and Adam Dunn, but decided to go with a pitcher in the end. This is the second acquisition the Angels have made the last few days, after acquiring infielder Alberto Callaspo.
