Kuzul

The Washington Nationals already possess the league's best one-two punch at the top of their pitching rotation, and Jordan Zimmerman is a talented third option on top of that.According to Fox Sports (via The Washington Post reporter Adam Kilgore), the Nationals added another arm to their rotation on Tuesday:The Nationals have a deal in place to finalize perhaps the top starting rotation in baseball, agreeing to a one-year, $13 million deal with free agent right-hander Dan Haren, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.The report notes that Haren must still pass a physical, but that "Haren said he has already taken a physical for another interested team, and he checked out fine."Washington is paying a nice chunk of cash here, but the reward potential is there. It's good to know that his health appears to be on point, though, because that's the only issue the talented ...

Starting pitcher Dan Haren ended weeks of speculation of where he would pitch in 2013 by signing a one-year, $13 million contract with the Washington Nationals today, according to MLB.com’s Bill Ladson. The Red Sox had been rumored to be interested in the right-hander but ultimately decided to pass, which, given the available information, was a proper decision. ESPNBoston.com’s Gordon Edes reported that the Red Sox chose not to be aggressive in their pursuit of Haren because of concerns over his health and what they were willing to pay. One of Edes’ sources said that “It was a simple case of money,” when asked why Boston allowed Haren to go to Washington.  Haren has been one of the better pitchers in baseball during his career, posting a 119-97 record with a 3.66 ERA, and exceeding 200 innings pitched in seven of the past eight years. However, the Red Sox were ...

Unlike my previous articles which focused on the Pioneer Press' Tom Powers' idea that the "Minnesota Twins need more useful players, not stars," this article looks at a different side to Minnesota's typical strict budget roster moves.It is not normal for the Twins to rebuild by stacking their team full of proven stars.  However, after two horrible seasons, is it time to break this mold? The following article reviews five free agents the Twins should consider splurging on for 2013 (to rebuild their rotation and jump start the offense).Note: All players were listed as Free Agents when this article was written, via BaseballReference.com and MLBTradeRumors.com.Begin Slideshow

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have declined Dan Haren's $15.5 million option for the 2013 season, making him a free agent.Haren, who wants to remain with the Angels, will now be in search of a home if general manager Jerry Dipoto chooses to take an alternative route.The right-hander is coming off arguably his worst season as a full-time starter. He produced a 4.33 ERA and a 12-13 record in 30 starts for the Angels.It was also the first season he failed to pitch 200 innings (176.2) since 2004 as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.Because of his down year, there's a strong chance that Haren could look to re-establish his value in 2013 on a one-year deal. If that's the case, Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo should jump at the chance to sign him.Haren has consistently been one of the better pitchers in the league since 2005, ...

Dan Haren was on the verge of being traded to the Chicago Cubs on Friday night for a package that would have sent at least Carlos Marmol to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. However, since that transaction fell through, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com is reporting that the Angels declined their team option on Haren, and he will indeed become a free agent this winter. According to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto has not ruled out talking to Haren on a new contract. With all this in mind, is it possible that Haren will return to the Angels next season? On one hand, last season was definitely below average for the now 32-year-old right-hander. He went 12-13 with a 4.33 ERA. He posted his highest WHIP, lowest win total, tied for the highest loss total and ...

In a whirlwind six hours for the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago Cubs, it appears neither Carlos Marmol nor Dan Haren will be joining a new team via trade.It also appears Haren will still be looking for a new place to pitch next season, after the Angels made the decision to exercise a $3.5 million buyout and make him a free agent.Angels beat writer Alden Gonzalez had the scoop: #Angels have declined the option on Dan Haren.— Alden Gonzalez (@Alden_Gonzalez) November 3, 2012 After the framework of a deal was completed earlier in the afternoon on Friday, news broke that the agreement had fallen through.According to ESPN's report, there is a list of five teams that Marmol would not consent for a trade. It's unclear what that list looked like or if that was the reason the deal fell apart, but it's something to consider after this trade looked so close ...

**Follow-up**  The deal is dead. Haren is a free agent, Marmol is back on the team. Cubs fans, put our heads back in the sand, nothing to see here.   In the grand scheme of things trading a reliever, even an elite one, for a quality starting pitcher would strike most as a move worth making.Starters are so infinitely more valuable than relievers, even more so in the payroll department.Yet Carlos Marmol is no elite reliever, and hasn't been for a handful of seasons now. While Dan Haren was far from stellar last season, the 32-year-old is a near-Ace caliber pitcher when he's on. Now, he's headed back to the National League and to the north side.The Angels made this move for salary-relief, and without that in mind the deal is quite lop-sided. The Cubs were far from comfortable with Marmol as the full-time closer, yet they have now solved their top ...

Update: Friday, Nov. 3 at 12:15 a.m. ETThe Angels-Cubs trade saga took a dramatic turn into the morning, as the Angels decided not to deal Haren and make him a free agent. MLB beat writer Alden Gonzalez tweets: #Angels have declined the option on Dan Haren.— Alden Gonzalez (@Alden_Gonzalez) November 3, 2012 It seems the L.A. brass couldn't find a deal of equal or lesser value for Haren's services than Marmol. They decided to cut their losses and make Haren somebody else's problem.Boy, it's going to be awkward for Marmol in Chicago.---End of Update--- Update: Friday, Nov. 2 at 10:30 p.m. ETAll of a sudden, it appears the Chicago Cubs have nixed the trade that would have sent Carlos Marmol to the Los Angeles Angels and Dan Haren to Chicago, according to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com.Rosenthal tweeted on Friday: Source: Marmol would have OK'ed trade to #Angels, but #Cubs pulled deal off table and ...

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim must have been frustrated with the way that this season turned out. However, it is shaping up to be another busy winter in the City of Angels. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports is reporting that the Angels are looking at potential trades for both Dan Haren and Ervin Santana. On one hand, it definitely makes sense to try to trade these two athletes. In 2012, Haren only managed to go 12-13 with a 4.33 ERA while Santana was a touch below that at 9-13 with a 5.16 ERA. If the Angels want to try to climb back on top of the division next season, they will obviously need more production out of their starting rotation than these two men demonstrated last year. However, could that production come out of Haren and Santana themselves? Haren has been a reliable starting pitcher throughout his entire career ...

The Arizona Diamondbacks once acquired Dan Haren from an AL West team based in California, and it worked out well for them. They have a chance to do it again and they should.Haren was an All-Star with postseason experience when the Diamondbacks traded a package of minor leaguers to the Oakland Athletics for him. They surrendered Brett Anderson and Carlos Gonzalez in the deal.He did not miss a beat when he arrived in the desert. He continued to make the All-Star team and was a Cy Young contender.As the Diamondbacks fell out of contention in 2010, he was traded, along with his contract extension, to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Joe Saunders was the main player in the deal. But the Diamondbacks also acquired young pitcher Patrick Corbin and another starting prospect Tyler Skaggs, who has become one of the best arms in Arizona's system.The Diamondbacks are going into ...