Another surprise kind of trade, really? It seems the Los Angeles Angels have answered the Texas Rangers’ acquisition of Cliff Lee, by pulling off a deal for Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Dan Haren. It didn’t even seem like the Angels were in the running for the highly coveted pitcher, but in the end they were forced to make a move to stay close to the Texas Rangers in teh American League West.
Before we go any further here is a look at the deal:
- The Angels get Dan Haren who is 7-8 in 2010 with a 4.60 ERA
- The Arizona Diamondbacks get Young Pitchers Rafael Rodriguez, Patrick Corbin and Joe Saunders plus a player to be named later
That seems like a high price to pay for Haren, but the D-Backs were looking to maximize his value. They wanted a number of young pitching prospects in return for him, and it looks like the Angels were willing to do just that. Haren is signed through 2012 and is owed 12.75 million dollars for each of the next two years, and has an option for a third year at 15.5 million or can be bought out for 3.5 million.
That is a heavy price to pay, and probably why a deal with the Detroit Tigers did not get done. This kind of played out perfect for the Angels, as the Tigers did not want to pay this price for him, and with the injury to Magglio Ordonez have turned their efforts to getting another bat in their lineup.
What he will bring to the Angels is something of a mystery. He his pretty notorious for having late season struggles, and will need to overcome that to be effective for the Angels.
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