Kuzul

According to Jayson Stark of ESPN , the Yankees were never actually as close to landing the Diamondback’s ace starter Dan Haren as reporters made it sound last night.

Stark reports that the Yankees rejected a deal that would have been centered around Joba Chamberlain, Ivan Nova, and two other prospects. The Yanks countered with a deal that didn’t include Joba and that appears to be where the deal fell apart.

Another issue, according to Stark, was over money. Haren is guaranteed at least $29 million ($33 million including the remainder of this season’s salary). The D-Backs wanted the Yankees to pay that salary in its entirety, but the Yankees expected some sort of discount on the prospects to do that.

It’s a shame that this deal broke down because the Yankees refused to trade Joba. As a reliever, he’s worth much less to the Yankees than Haren would have been as a front of the line starter. The reason they probably wanted an all-prospects deal or nothing was about not hurting their chances at winning a World Series this season.

They might realize that it would be a fair deal to send Joba away for the likes of Haren, but the idea of removing Joba from the bullpen would hurt. Sure, they could have moved Phil Hughes into the pen, but that would only be temporary and for this season. There would be no clear replacement for Joba any time soon while they can just go out and sign Cliff Lee this offseason for rotation help.

At least that’s my take on the situation. The bottom line is that the Yankees didn’t want to include Joba in a deal, so there is no deal.

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The St. Louis Cardinals rallied to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-4 Sunday, completing only their second sweep this year. 

Although the Cards won their last two games using statistically non-threatening starters in Jeff Suppan and Blake Hawksworth, they could still use some reinforcements for their injury-ridden starting rotation. 

Kyle Lohse and Brad Penny will not likely contribute much more (if at all) to the Cards’ 2010 season, and wins still are not guaranteed from aces Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, and rookie sensation Jaime Garcia. 

So to where will the Cards turn for help?

According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, the Cardinals could feasibly add Arizona Diamondbacks’ starter Dan Haren. 

Haren, 29, is having a rough year in Arizona, but has the potential to manufacture a winning season providing he joins a playoff-bound team. The Cards know Haren would be an improvement to their rotation—the right-hander proved he had talent when he pitched for the Redbirds in 2003 and 2004. 

Haren further showed he was a threat on the mound after the Cardinals traded him in 2005—he had a great year with the Oakland Athletics, going 14-12 with 3.73 ERA.

Now the Cardinals are thinking about regaining this lost talent—but the big issues lie in the bank and in the future. Planning the Cards’ budget is a tough task for the front office, especially considering the talent that already exists in St. Louis. 

But regardless of how much Albert Pujols, Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina make after next year, there should be room for another big ticket player. 

But this high-profile player will not come to St. Louis for free, and this sparks the question: Who do the Cardinals trade to get Haren? 

Here are a few options:

Minor League Pitchers —The Diamondbacks need pitching, so losing Haren will require quick, preferably young replacements. The Cardinals have some players that could fit the bill in AAA in P.J. Walters, Evan Maclane and Adam Ottavino.

Rookie Position Players —This option is less feasible. The Cards are going to need their young talent during the next few years—they won’t be able to afford anything else. 

David Freese should be the starting third baseman next year, and Jon Jay should play center or right field. Tyler Greene has shown some serious talent recently, and he should stay with the Cards, too.

The only player who doesn’t need to stay in St. Louis is Joe Mather. But who wants a player who can’t hit above the Mendoza line?

Veteran Position Players —This option could work. Young talent is surfacing right-and-left in St. Louis, and veteran talent is proving to be unpredictable. 

The Cards could stand to lose Ryan Ludwick, the 32-year-old injured right fielder whose paycheck is scheduled to increase within the next few years. 

But who would buy damaged goods right now?

Other options include Aaron Miles and Nick Stavinoha (who’s not exactly a veteran).

Who the Cards give up for reinforcement pitching is a mystery right now, but the 2010 MLB trade deadline is steadily approaching.  

Most likely, the Cardinals will lose young talent—the very thing that happened when the Redbirds traded Haren to the Athletics in ’05 could easily happen again: The Cards will trade young talent for veteran talent, only to find out their young talent was better than they expected.  

Regardless of what happens, the Cards need help if they want to clinch the NL Central again. And pitching will be the key.

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With the Mets having lost the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, they still are in need of another starting pitcher.

Losing the last two games to the Braves and falling to five games out of first place and two back in the wild card race have made this need even more obvious.

Names that have recently come up in connection with the Mets include Ted Lilly , Fausto Carmona , Jake Westbrook, and Dan Haren . However, all of these players come at a price.

A popular name that is being thrown around as a player who the Mets would need to include in a deal is Josh Thole.

At just age 22, Thole was able to achieve success in his short stint in the major leagues last season.

After starting the season in the minors, Thole has worked his way back up to the big league club.

He struggled in the minors this year posting just a .267 batting average and a .353 on-base percentage.

Many wondered if Thole had truly merited his promotion. Others wondered if it was an attempt to showcase him for a trade.

It appears to be the latter.

Thole would be a key piece in a deal for any of the aforementioned pitchers.

The Cubs appear to have no need for Thole, yet they have requested that he be included in a deal for Ted Lilly. This speaks volumes about the confidence the Cubs have in Geovany Soto.

Thole would…(to read the rest of the article click on the link below)

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