According to reports around the Majors, the Arizona Diamondbacks have changed their stance on Dan Haren possibly being traded this year.
Haren, who is 7-8 with a 4.60 ERA and league leader in strikeouts with 141, had previously been almost impossible to trade. Now, it appears that the D-Backs have taken a more open stance towards trading Haren this year.
Teams that have a known interest in the 29-year-old workhorse are the Tigers, Twins, Yankees, Phillies, and Cardinals at this point.
What are the D-Backs asking for in return? High quality pitching that is Major League-ready.
The D-Backs are exchanging names with several teams, but the Twins and Tigers are both on Haren’s no-trade list right now.
And with both the Cardinals and Phillies going hard after Roy Oswalt , it would seem that the Yankees might be the only known option for Arizona to trade with currently.
It is a strong possibility that the Yankees are just keeping tabs on what is going on in the desert, and don’t have a strong interest in acquiring Haren (at least not until the Rays or Red Sox get involved).
Who knows? Arizona might be desperate to dump the $25 million salary owed over the next two years. And if there are no other suitors for him other than the Yankees, the Yanks might get him without giving up much in return.
I highly doubt that he’ll don pinstripes next week, but if he does, the Yankees would have to center a deal around either Ivan Nova or Zach McAllister, two of the top pitching prospects in the organization, who are both at Triple-A this year.
I can’t imagine Brian Cashman parting ways with either Nova or McAllister for a guy who is having a down year, unless Tampa Bay or Boston gets involved.
My guess is that St. Louis will not be able to acquire Roy Oswalt or lose him to another team, so they will go after Haren and get him from Arizona.
A lot of things could change from now until July 31, but as things are right now with Brian Cashman reluctant to go after a starting pitcher on the trade market, I think the Yankees will not be acquiring Haren, or any other starting pitcher for that matter at this year’s deadline.
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