About a week ago, there was a rumor that the Angels were talking to the Diamondbacks about Dan Haren. The story was quickly shot down by DBacks GM Josh Byrnes, which wasn't a surprise. Haren has been one of the best starting pitchers in the majors this season with a 7-5 record, a 2.19 ERA and a 0.81 WHIP. He also sports an incredible 113-15 K/BB ratio in 115 innings pitched.
I think Byrnes should deal Haren, and here's why. To me, the Dbacks are more than one player away from contending in the NL West. They are going to lose Brandon Webb to free agency after the 2010 season, and who knows how he will pitch when he returns, or when he will return. They are also going to lose Felipe Lopez, Doug Davis and Jon Garland to free agency at the end of the season. They will lose 3/5ths of their starting rotation should Webb not come back healthy and elect for surgery, which is a possibility.
Their three best position players are Justin Upton, Stephen Drew and Mark Reynolds, but beyond those three, they have alot of question marks. They have a bad contract in LF in Eric Byrnes, and a young CF in Chris Young who strikes out way too much. First baseman Conor Jackson probably won't play this year, but he is not your prototypical first baseman either as he has little power at a power position.
So, if I were Josh Byrnes, I would deal Haren to a team with prospects that are major league ready or close to major league ready. Teams that come to mind are the Phillies, Red Sox, Brewers, and Reds. The Giants have plenty of young talented pitching prospects, but they do not need another starting pitcher, they need a bat. The Dodgers do need an ace starting pitcher, but the price for Haren would be sky high.
Here is a list of prospects for each team that could be in the mix for Haren:
Phillies-P Carlos Carrasco, P Antonio Bastardo, P Kyle Drabek, OF Michael Taylor, OF Dominic Brown, SS Jason Donald, C Lou Marson
Red Sox-P Clay Buchholz, P Justin Masterson, 1B Lars Anderson, P Michael Bowden, OF Josh Reddick, P Casey Kelly
Brewers-3B/1B Mat Gamel, SS Alcides Escobar, C Brett Lawrie, C Angel Salome
Reds-P Homer Bailey, P Chris Heisey, 1B Yonder Alonso, OF Drew Stubbs, OF/3B Todd Frazier