Normally we would not pay much attention to a rumor like this but given the dearth of Dodger roster interest this winter lets bring this up for discussion. Am I being nitpicky about this? Dylan writes:
Harang, a 31-year-old right-hander, finished fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting in 2007 and tied for the league lead in wins in 2006 with 16. But Harang has won only six games over the last two seasons, losing a total of 31 games over that span.
Reading this I would think that Harang has won only six games total in 2008 and 2009 instead of the actual total of six wins per season. I just want to make sure everyone at TBLA understands the win total. Not that it matters much because even six wins season is kind of sucky for a guy draining a team with a huge % of the total payroll tied to him but we know that pitching skills are what we focus on, not wins. To a point.
Everyone is making it a given that Sherrill would be part of the package because of his salary. That makes sense to me if the Reds can then move Cordero but otherwise I can't see the Reds spending 16 Million on two pitchers in the bullpen. Cordero is already pulling down 12 Million in 2010 and 2011. Sherrill is expected to earn about 4 Million in arbitration. This does not sound like a match to me unless multiple teams are involved and we see quite a few players being moved around.
This line however is the line that should make us worried:
The Reds are asking for one or two players on the Dodgers' major league roster in return.
The Dodgers would want the Reds to pay for a portion of the $15 million Harang would be guaranteed if he is traded.
This smells very much like a sale, not a trade. Harang has so much salary (12.5 Million in 2010) owed him that we couldn't possibly be adding him without some special shenanigans taking place first. A straight swap of Juan for Aaron would have matched up, the word was that the Dodgers were trying to get a starting pitcher for Juan but the 3rd team backed out, so the Dodgers pulled the trigger on the deal with the White Sox. It is very possible that Harang was that guy.
The Reds will be looking for young cheap players if they are going to eat salary. Harang has skills, with a K Rate above 7.5 four years running. His walk rate hovers consistently between 2.2 and 2.4. His xERA of 4.29 was right in line with actual 4.21. WIth Harang you get what you see. The elite skills of 2006/2007 have slipped but he still has the skills to help a rotation like the Dodgers. All things being equal I'd be happy to see Aaron Harang in the rotation, but the price we'd have to pay to make it happen is where things get shaky.