One Haren of a Deal

Right-hander Danny Haren has been very good to the Oakland Athletics. Not only did he give them three seasons of above-average pitching, but he also brought first baseman Daric Barton and reliever Kiko Calero over with him when he was traded to the West Coast from St. Louis prior to the 2005 season. All three players have been key cogs in the A’s successes over the past three years, and Barton promises to be a mainstay in the lineup for many years (or until his trade value is at its peak).

Haren, along with minor league right-hander Connor Robertson, also brought the Athletics a plethora of talent when he was traded from Oakland to Arizona prior to the 2008 seasons. The booty obtained for the right-hander includes southpaws Dana Eveland, Greg Smith, Brett Anderson, first baseman Chris Carter and outfielders Carlos Gonzalez and Aaron Cunningham.

Haren 6-4 W-L | 83.2 IP | 7.64 K/9 | 1.61 BB/9 | .234 AVG | 3.25 FIP
Eveland 4-5 W-L | 76.2 IP | 6.22 K/9 | 4.58 BB/9 | .234 AVG | 3.83 FIP
Smith 3-5 W-L | 74.2 IP | 6.75 K/9 | 3.25 BB/9 | .236 AVG | 3.86 FIP

Obviously, Haren, 27, has a proven track record whereas the younger Eveland, 24, and Smith, 24, do not. That said, you have to enjoy the fact Oakland turned one key part of its rotation into two key parts, keeping in mind how valuable young, affordable pitching is and how incredibly valuable young, affordable, left-handed pitching is now. Eveland has always had a little bit of a higher profile than Smith, who was always considered to be one of those ‘soft-tossers’ who can fool minor leaguers but would probably get lit up by the bigger, stronger Major Leaguers. So far, though, Smith is proving his doubters wrong in the post-Mitchell Report era. Eveland’s stuff is a little bit better than Smith’s, but the southpaw has always been compared to former Major Leaguer David Wells, and not in a fattering – sorry, flattering way. Basically with these three pitchers you have to decide if a No. 2 starter, or borderline No. 1 starter, is more valuable than both a No. 3 and No. 4 starter.

Robertson, 26, is a former 31st round draft pick who has settled into a bullpen role and is currently pitching in Triple-A Tucson. He has a 4.32 ERA in 41.2 innings. Robertson has allowed 33 hits and 18 walks to go along with 42 strikeouts. His stuff is average at best and he allows a lot of fly balls so his ceiling is limited to that of a 12th or 13th man on a Major League pitching staff.

Anderson, 20, is one of the top southpaw prospects in all of baseball and was considered an advanced high school pitcher when he was drafted. So far this season, in High-A ball, Anderson has a 4.43 ERA in 61 innings. He has allowed 62 hits and has walked 2.21 batters per nine innings (BB/9). He has also posted a rate of 9.59 K/9. Anderson’s ERA is a bit misleading as he pitched hurt for a little while before going on the disabled list in mid-May. If you subtract those three straight poor starts that included 19 earned runs in 11 innings, his ERA lowers to 1.98.

At the time of the trade, Gonzalez, 22, was considered the key player in the deal as the Diamondbacks’ top prospect. He has done nothing to disappoint since becoming an American Leaguer and he is currently hitting .262/.279/.452 in 42 at-bats at the major league level. Interestingly, of his 11 hits, Gonzalez has eight doubles. In fact, his first seven major league hits were doubles. Earlier in the season at Triple-A, Gonzalez batted .293/.351/.439 in 157 at-bats. He is still raw to some degree but loaded with potential.

Cunningham began the season on the disabled list but has been making up for lost time. The fringe major league starter (not enough range for center, not enough power for the corners) is currently hitting .291/.357/.417 in Double-A, with three homers and five stolen bases in 151 at-bats. He needs to cut down on the strikeouts, which are piling up at a rate of 27.3 percent.

Originally acquired by the Diamondbacks from the White Sox, Carter has settled into Oakland’s system nicely, with his combination of walks and home runs. He still has work to do to develop into a major leaguer, though. The power is undeniable but Carter needs to improve his contact rates. He is currently hitting .224/.342/.480 with 14 homers in 223 at-bats. He has walked 15.2 percent of the time but struck out at a rate of 31.8 percent.