12:06pm: The Yankees don't seem to be involved in the bidding for Haren, reports Heyman (on Twitter).
11:50am: The Angels are still working on trading Haren today, Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio reports (on Twitter). They aren't interested in exercising his option and trying to trade him later.
10:40am: The Cubs are among the teams interested in Dan Haren, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. The Red Sox are eyeing the right-hander and other teams also appear to be involved.
The Angels have until today to exercise or decline Haren’s 2013 option ($15.5MM club option with a $3.5MM buyout). Today is also the deadline for teams to extend qualifying offers to free agents.
The 32-year-old started 30 games for the Angels this past season, posting a 4.33 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 176 2/3 innings. Haren told the Los Angeles Times yesterday that he expects to be traded. "I have no specifics on teams, but that's the vibe I'm getting," he said.
The Cubs' rotation will need lots of attention this offseason. GM Jed Hoyer has had some talks with Ryan Dempster about a potential contract.
Stack ’em and rack ’em, then flip ’em at the deadline.
Hopefully – as long as his contract isn’t too big. I was personally hoping they’d go after either E-Jax or Anibal. They’re young enough to where they would still be effective by the time the Cubs are contending again.
Then again… Dan Haren in pinstripes would be pretty sweet.
that is the way for the team to become a perennial bottom feeder.
I disagree. If you can sign a player to a contract w/o a NTC and you’re out of contention at the trading deadline(s), you trade him for a prospect or package of prospects.
Do it Theo!
Typical Theo – Pretty good in the trade market, pretty bad in free agency.
the Pirates will complete the trade for Dan Haren later today
This is mean Jerry. Don’t pick on the Cubs like that. We all know Dan Haren isn’t the difference between them in last place and them in the post season. Especially at 15.5 million.
is that really why you think the cubs would trade for him?
Yes just like me and theo talked about! (actually mentioned this to him on the last game of the season)
Cubs can afford to take on his salary because where else are we going to spend it? then if we could sign E.Jackson long therm id be happy with the rotation of Garza, Jackson, Haren,Samarja, Wood (in no order)
Now what would the cubs have to give up… if we take on all of his salary then we could just give the angles a minor league or a bullpen piece maybe?
Angle fans what wholes do you have on your roster?
“Wholes”? Guessing Vernon Wells is a whole.
Kurt Angle plays for the Cubs?
No, but he’s considering trying out for the Pirates. Someday. j/k
(He’s been talking about getting into MMA for years but hasn’t actually done it and isn’t getting any younger.)
A rotation of Garza-Haren-Shark-Wood and a FA pickup of a McCarthy or Marcum type would be oddly impressive considering where the rotation was for the last couple months of 2012.
Do they really call Samardzija Shark in Chicago?
Yes, but only because no one can spell his name.
Haha yeah I had to look up the spelling because every time I tried to type it it just didnt look right (still doesnt).
He’s been known as the “shark” since his days at ND…..
This only makes sense if they wait until after the Angels decline the option. Otherwise, they end up with a $15.5M deal (minus whatever the Angels agree to pay) for one year of Haren and very little ability to flip him to a contender later in the year. They’d have to hold on to him until the end of the season, then hope he is in a position to decline a qualifying offer just to get an additional draft choice out of the whole deal.
I don’t see how your “very little ability” to flip comment stands up. Haren has always been a workhorse. If he returns to form, which there is a good chance he does, every contender is looking for a strong SP for the stretch. That 15 mil is cut in half by then, plus the Cubs’ cash surplus can even cut into that. And according to your worst case scenario, the extra pick sounds pretty good depending on the piece Thoyer gives up. Even if Haren perpetually accepts future qualifying offers from the Cubs, the quote “there is no such thing as a bad one year contract” really applies to a team with gaping SP holes.
Waiting until after the Angels decline his option would be the furthest thing from making sense unfortunately. That would mean Haren could test the open market, and, let’s be honest, the North Side wouldn’t make it onto his short list.
First off, it won’t be $15.5. The Angels covered the entirety of Santana’s buyout ($1MM) and would presumably do the same for Haren ($3.5), putting the Cubs on the hook for $12.5MM.
The Cubs are in rebuilding mode. That much is certain. Big market teams that are under construction so to speak LOVE short-term contracts. It allows them to present a respectable roster/payroll to appease the fan base without compromising long-term payroll flexibility.
As for “very little ability” to flip him to a contender, I disagree vehemently. If Haren returns to form (and I honestly think he should, so long as his back is healthy), he will command a nice package at the trade deadline. (Somewhere in the middle of what the Cubs got for Maholm and what the Brewers got for Greinke.)
Couple that with the big return the Cubs are likely to get for Garza (again, health permitted), and they’ll have a TON of payroll flexibility for 2014 and beyond while significantly bolstering the farm system, which is all too imperative
Haren is a good pitcher and has plenty of value when healthy, but with no remaining years of control (unlike when they traded Maholm), the best return the Cubs could hope for in a deadline deal would be a couple B- or C-level prospects. $12.5M is too much for one year of Haren (+ an extra pick… or 3/4 of a year + 2 mid-level prospects) in a year when the team will still be mostly awful.
Spend the same money on 3 1-year+option deals on lower tier free agent pitchers or bullpen converts. Hopefully one catches lightning in a bottle (that you can either flip for a good return, or keep), and one has a good enough year to net you a decent trade return at the deadline (e.g., Maholm)… the third one will flop and you decline the option. Better long-term bang for the $12.5M.
psst… I think the plan is to do both of those things. the only asset we have is money. think of it as buying a really expensive lottery ticket. maybe it works out, maybe it doesn’t, but the money is irrelevant at this point when garza soriano and marmol are the only guys making high salaries this season and we put major attendance numbers up.
If he returns to form and the Cubs absorb some salary in a trade, we should be able to acquire a solid B to B+ prospect. The Brewers got Juan Segura for Grienke and I would be pretty happy with that type of return. Even if the offers aren’t out there, we just make Haren a qualifying offer and take our first round pick.
It would be a good move by the Cubs. They need starting pitching pretty badly and Haren would be a solid pickup. Hopefully, if this goes through, the cubs dont give up too much to acquire him.
If Soriano is the one going back, this would be an outstanding move.
Nope. Believe it or not, I would have to say Soriano is the more valuable piece at the moment. It’s looking like Haren will be moved along the lines of Santana, albiet a better piece going to LA. Moving Soriano would proabably mean Wells comes back and that just is not happening. This is a salary clear by the Angels. Soriano is worth more to someone else. Not to mention LA’s glut of OFers.
So the Angels are going to create salary room to sign Grienke by trading for a more expensive player? Makes sense…
So I guess the Angels are putting all their eggs into one basket and looking to sign Greinke no matter what.
Sure looks that way because if they trade both Santana and Haren and don’t re-sign Greinke, then they are really going to be short on SPs. IMO, Weaver was the only consistent SP for them, but Greinke was pretty good for them overall.
I agree diehard. Looks like a dangerous plan by the Angels. Haren has flat out said deny the option and let’s sign a smaller one year deal. This looks like a casuality of the Wells trade/Pujols contract. But don’t worry about it, the Dodgers will feel this sting in a couple years:)
LOL, well, considering only AGon’s contract runs past his age of 35 (36), I don’t think the Dodgers are too worried.
AGon was definitely a position of need (1B) and with no viable candidates in the system, taking him on was an acceptable risk.
Crawford is the guy who is obviously the most risky. We’ll see how it turns out. If he can stay healthy (like he has been most of his career), then I think he can be pretty productive in the Dodgers’ lineup.
Just noticed this about Haren: he is 5th ALL-TIME in K/BB!
Haren isn’t that good but him and getting Johnson from the Marlins would make people interested
Angels better pick up his option then trade him. if they buy him out and
dont get grienke….its gonna be a disaster year for the angels.
Go get him Cubs!
Off topic: does anyone think the angels would try to sign lincecum or price if they don’t resign greinke?
Lincecum & Price aren’t free agents so I say no
Any more updates?
Man, I was so excited about this one. Always wanted to see Haren in a Cubs uniform. I hope they still pull this off!
Rotation for the Mariners would make sense of Felix Hernandez, Dan Haren, Blake Beaven, Hector Noesi, and possibly Edwin Jackson (sign a one year contract before Hultzen or Paxton and Walker are ready in 2014 season). Trading Chone Figgins back to the Los Angeles Angels then shipping him to a National Legue team in three way trade like the Mets possibly and outfielder Trayvon Robinson or Casper Wells also to the Angels since both Vernon Wells and Torii Hunter may not return to Los Angeles in 2013.