January 8, 2015

TEN MILLION GAME OF CHICKEN

Dan Haren is not an "elite" pitcher. He went 13-11, 4.02 ERA last year, but he does not have a positive WAR since 2011. But he comes across as a player who believes he is entitled to demand where he wants to play, even though he is not a free agent.

Haren was traded by the Dodgers to the Miami Marlins in December. Haren previously told the world that he wanted to remain on the West Coast, close to his family.

The Marlins acquired Haren (for free), second baseman Dee Gordon and infielder Miguel Rojas in exchange for prospects Andrew Heaney,  Chris Hatcher, Enrique Hernandez and Austin Barnes.  At the time, 

In fact, Haren reaffirmed his stance in a statement soon after the trade was agreed to.
"I have been notified of the trade to Miami. My strong desire to remain in Southern California has been well-documented. I will have to evaluate my options carefully before making any decisions."
Miami had hoped Haren would reconsider. It's becoming increasingly clear, however, that Haren is set in his ways. The Miami Herald reported that the Marlins have been exploring options, but are finding no takers. 
At his request, the Marlins have been trying to trade pitcher Dan Haren to a team closer to his Southern California home but have found no takers. The Marlins have no intention of parting with the $10 million that the Dodgers are giving them to pay Haren’s salary or to keep if he retires.
If Haren retires, the Marlins will allocate that money toward Mat Latos’ estimated $8.4 million salary.
The threat of retirement is aimed at the Marlins, a dysfunctional club that adds to the confusion by actively trading for a player who does not want to be a Marlin. But the price was right, with the Dodgers paying the 2015 salary. But more and more players have been putting partial "no trade" provisions in their contracts to avoid "bad" teams or bad locations. Apparently, Haren did not have the leverage to keep his trade options solely to the Western US.  Teams hate to tie their hands with no-trade deals, because in the case of LA, it needed to restock its system with new prospects.

The Marlins made the move to appease Giocarlo Stanton, who signed the back loaded mega deal this off-season. Stanton wants to play for a winning team, and Haren qualifies as a pitching staff upgrade. That is, if he shows up to camp.

Most teams try to avoid headaches and bad public relations. This trade and its fall out seems to fail on both counts.