On Friday, a couple of Dan Haren's teammates had some fun with the pitcher, cleaning out his locker in the Diamondbacks clubhouse, trying to convince the right-hander he had been traded.
In the next week, Haren's locker could be cleaned out again, but this time it wouldn't be a joke.
Haren, Arizona's 29-year-old ace, who is 11 games above .500 in two-plus years with the Diamondbacks, has been the subject of trade rumors lately and they continue to get stronger.
At first, Diamondback fans heard that the organization wasn't considering trading Haren. Then, it changed that it could happen, but that Arizona would have to be blown away by a potential offer in order to swing the deal.
Now, it's been reported that a deal is likely to go down sometime before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
If a trade does in fact happen and Arizona lets Haren go, it better be for an overwhelming package of prospects and major league-ready players and not just a trade to shed some money.
In the past, we've seen teams like Minnesota practically give away an ace in Johan Santana and receive a group of players that were suspect from the start. San Diego is guilty of the same thing with Jake Peavy.
Now, both of those teams are in the thick of things this season and would surely love to have those pitchers back instead of the under-performing players they got in return.
On the other hand, when Baltimore traded Erik Bedard to Seattle, the Orioles made sure they got some major players in return in All-Star center fielder Adam Jones and potential ace Chris Tillman, among others.
As hard as it to believe, the D-backs aren't that far off from contending and we've seen teams that should have been better, like the Braves and Rangers, reach their potential quickly and get in a pennant race after a disappointing season.
With the lineup the D-backs have, they should hold on to Haren and go into next season with him as the head of the pitching staff instead of relying on guys like Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy to lead the rotation.
The Diamondbacks shouldn't feel pressure to trade Haren for the heck of it just because teams are calling. If they find the ideal package, then by all means let him go and move forward. If not, they need to hold on to him.
In the next week, Haren's locker could be cleaned out again, but this time it wouldn't be a joke.
Haren, Arizona's 29-year-old ace, who is 11 games above .500 in two-plus years with the Diamondbacks, has been the subject of trade rumors lately and they continue to get stronger.
At first, Diamondback fans heard that the organization wasn't considering trading Haren. Then, it changed that it could happen, but that Arizona would have to be blown away by a potential offer in order to swing the deal.
Now, it's been reported that a deal is likely to go down sometime before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
If a trade does in fact happen and Arizona lets Haren go, it better be for an overwhelming package of prospects and major league-ready players and not just a trade to shed some money.
In the past, we've seen teams like Minnesota practically give away an ace in Johan Santana and receive a group of players that were suspect from the start. San Diego is guilty of the same thing with Jake Peavy.
Now, both of those teams are in the thick of things this season and would surely love to have those pitchers back instead of the under-performing players they got in return.
On the other hand, when Baltimore traded Erik Bedard to Seattle, the Orioles made sure they got some major players in return in All-Star center fielder Adam Jones and potential ace Chris Tillman, among others.
As hard as it to believe, the D-backs aren't that far off from contending and we've seen teams that should have been better, like the Braves and Rangers, reach their potential quickly and get in a pennant race after a disappointing season.
With the lineup the D-backs have, they should hold on to Haren and go into next season with him as the head of the pitching staff instead of relying on guys like Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy to lead the rotation.
The Diamondbacks shouldn't feel pressure to trade Haren for the heck of it just because teams are calling. If they find the ideal package, then by all means let him go and move forward. If not, they need to hold on to him.
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