Kelvin Kuo-US PRESSWIRE
All the good things Los Angeles Angels GM Jerry Dipoto did during the 2012 off-season is erased in a single trade. The Angels have shipped Dan Haren to the Chicago Cubs for Carlos Marmol. Granted, I said earlier today that the Angels needed to bolster their bullpen, but Marmol is not the answer to that problem, especially if Haren is dealt.
This is a huge win for the Chicago Cubs. Not only do they get their inconsistent closer off their books, they acquire a frontline starter in the process. Sure, Haren struggled this season, but he was a 5.5 fWAR pitcher on average since 2007. Marmol, on the other hand, has about as much control as Charlie Sheen would have in Amsterdam; although, he was pretty solid in the second half.
This trade tells me two things about the Angels. First, the Angels are true to their word about going all-in on Zack Greinke. There is no way the Angels make this deal without pushing hard for Greinke. Secondly, the Angels obviously feel the need to cut payroll as quickly as possible… kinda.
I said kinda because Marmol is due to make nearly $10 million dollars in 2013, so why on earth is LA doing this again? Maybe I am just a Haren fanboy, but there is no way Marmol+$4.5M equals Haren’s production going forward.
Even if the Cubs have a makeshift offense for 2013, they have a really good starting staff. Worse case scenario for the Cubs is they move Haren for a better package once he proves he’s still an elite pitcher.
This is definitely one thing Cub fans should all be happy about.
Bryan is a featured writer for Rant Sports. Although he concentrates on MLB, you can see him covering a multitude of things across the Rant Sports Network.
