Report: Dan Haren Pushing for Reunion with Angels

On December 11th, veteran right-handed starting pitcher, Dan Haren, was traded from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Miami Marlins. The Pepperdine alum, and La Puente, Calif., native was dismayed to learn he will make his new home in South Florida. Since the deal was announced, Haren has been threatening to retire if the Marlins are unable to cultivate a return to Southern California. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported on Monday that Haren is still “holding out hope for a trade to the Angels or Padres.”

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Dan Haren has had a very productive 12-year career, tallying 142 victories, and posting an ERA of 3.77. Haren spent two and a half seasons in an Angels’ uniform, and performed admirably. Haren was acquired by the Halos back in 2010 from the Arizona Diamondbacks. In 2011, Haren lit up the big A, winning 16 games, posting an ERA of 3.17, and finishing seventh in Cy Young voting. Haren recorded three complete game shutouts in 2011, and accumulated a WAR of 4.3. Haren has struggled since departing Anaheim in 2012, but last season saw Haren bounce back and post quality numbers for the cross-town Dodgers.

There are many reasons why adding, Dan Haren, to a clubhouse could produce positive results, but there are exactly 10,000,000 reasons why the Halos trading for Haren makes no sense.

Sep 10, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Dan Haren (14) pitches in the second inning against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

It is not that Haren is a bad pitcher, in fact quite the contrary. Haren helped the Dodgers make the postseason in 2014. Haren posted a record of 13-11, with an ERA of 4.02 in his lone campaign in Chavez Ravine. Haren has flawless command of his pitches, and in 2014 he averaged just 1.7 walks per 9 innings. Haren has proven himself to be extremely durable throughout his 12-year career, pitching at least 169.2 innings and making at least 30 starts in each of his last 10 campaigns.

Dan Haren is due to earn $10 million dollars in 2015 before hitting the open market after the season. Haren’s numbers over the past five seasons compare favorably with those of veteran right-hander, Jake Peavy. The San Francisco Giants just inked Peavy to a new two-year contract worth a reported $12 million dollars per year. Since 2010, Peavy has posted a cumulative ERA of 4.16, and a strikeout to walk ratio of 3.31. During the same stretch of time, Haren has posted an ERA of 4.02, and a strikeout to walk ratio of 4.29. $10 million is really not that absurd of an amount to pay for Haren’s production.

Dan Haren has made it clear that if the Marlins do not trade him to either the Angels or San Diego Padres he will hang up his cleats. Obviously, this leaves the Marlins with little leverage in trade talks. One would think the Marlins would be eager to unload the veteran right-hander, and Haren could be had for next to nothing. However, that is reliant on the Angels or Padres covering the remaining $10 million dollars on Haren’s contract. The Marlins covered themselves in the trade by netting $10 million from the Dodgers to cover Haren’s contract if he plays. Better yet for the Marlins, they get to keep the money if Haren opts to retire. It is not known what becomes of the $10 million if Haren is traded, but let us assume that the Dodgers no longer have to foot the bill. The Marlins have nothing to lose by holding onto Haren and calling his bluff, in fact they may have something to gain. It may take more than originally expected to pry Haren away from the notoriously frugal Marlins.

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The reality is Angels’ general manager, Jerry Dipoto, has already added a couple of capable, young, controllable, high upside arms this offseason. Last month, the Angels acquired 24-year-old right-hander, Nick Tropeano, from the Houston Astros. Then the Halos dealt for southpaw, Andrew Heaney, earlier this month. Heaney is one of the top prospects in all of baseball, and figures to make an immediate impact for the Angels in 2015. The Angels starting rotation is set up nicely for next season, with, Jered Weaver, as the club’s ace, followed by, C.J. Wilson, and, Matt Shoemaker. The remaining two spots will be fought for in spring training by, Hector Santiago, Cory Rasmus, Heaney, and Tropeano. Garrett Richards was phenomenal last season for the Halos, but he will likely not be ready following knee surgery until May or June.

The Angels can afford Haren’s price tag after non-tendering infielder, Gordon Beckham, and trading All-Star second baseman, Howie Kendrick. However, with so many other Major League ready starters already on the roster, the $10 million could be better spent addressing areas the Halos lack depth.

Simply put, with the Angels starting pitching depth, adding Dan Haren would be redundant. Every general manager will tell you that you can never have enough starting pitching, but paying $10 million for an extra arm is excessive.

I do not anticipate the Angels pulling the trigger on a trade for Haren anytime soon. The Padres have certainly grabbed headlines recently after making multiple trades involving prominent players, so maybe they would be interested in bringing Haren in. Regardless, I find it hard to believe the 34-year-old would walk away from $10 million dollars simply because he does not feel like relocating.

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