Dan Haren is going to be traded. This much seems inevitable. After first hearing news that the Angels were shopping Santana and Haren, both of whom they had options for, there's been a flurry of updates coming from the most trusted names in the hot stove business. When MLBTR, Ken Rosenthal, The Boston Globe, Jim Bowden, and Dan Haren himself via Mark Saxon of ESPNLA all admit that a trade is likely inevitable, there's a good possibility that just about every GM in the business has talked to Angels GM Jerry Dipoto about it. After the Santana trade it becomes a relative certainty that the Angels are looking to get something of value in a return, and aren't looking to cover any more than the buyout clause (3.5 million in this case) as salary relief. On top of which, there really wouldn't be so much buzz surrounding a potential trade for Dan Haren unless other teams were convinced that last year was simply an injury-ridden fluke and that Dan Haren is still the same Cy Young contender he was every year before 2012. Teams believe this truth so much that they're willing to gamble 12-15.5 million dollars and a prospect on this. So who is Dan Haren going to pitch for next year?
Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox are in desperate need of pitching and Dan Haren's reliability would do wonders anchoring the continually besieged staff. Boston has tons of money to spend after sending Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Beckett to LA, but they also have a lot of holes to fill, starting with the rotation. If a deal does go down with the Red Sox, you can expect the Angels to ask for a pitcher along the lines of Junichi Tazawa or Clayton Mortensen.
Toronto Blue Jays
Gotta think the Angels would love to bring Casey Janssen back to his native Orange County.
Chicago White Sox
The White Sox already look pretty good in their rotation, but would take a chance at improving it with Dan Haren if it came at the right price. The Angels will probably ask for Jesse Crain in return, but I imagine the White Sox countering with someone like Deunte Heath.
Cleveland Indians
Rumor already has it that Chris Perez may be available via trade this offseason. A Dan Haren – Chris Perez deal could actually make a lot of sense for both sides.
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates looked like a playoff bound team for a large portion of the 2012 season. Then the wheels fell off and the starting rotation tanked. Dan Haren would provide the safety measure for a team like Pittsburgh to prevent that from happening again. The Angels could ask for Pedro Alvarez or Kyle McPherson but they'd probably have to supplement the deal with another player/prospect. Perhaps Duke Welker would be available.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers are already approaching the 200 million mark in payroll, so they may or may not be limited in what they can do. If early reports are accurate that they intend to pursue Zack Greinke, then it appears they have plenty of money to spend. The Angels and Dodgers rarely match up in trades, so this would be a surprising move to say the least. However, in the unlikely event that this does occur, the Dodgers have a plethora of young pitchers the Angels would be interested in. Specifically, John Ely, Javy Guerra, or Shawn Tolleson. This doesn't necessarily mean the Dodgers would give these players up, but you can bet the Angels would be interested.
San Diego Padres
The Padres usually have a pretty low payroll, it remains unlikely we'll see Haren in a Padres uniform unless the Angels kick in qute a bit of money. But if this transaction does take place, the Angels' asking price would have to be high, given the amount of money they are spending. Brad Boxberger, Luke Gregerson, or Josh Spence would be ideal. The Angels could also attempt the unthinkable and throw a large quantity of prospects into the deal in an attempt to land Chase Headley.
Colorado Rockies
It always seems like the Rocks are chasing starting pitching, so there's a strong chance they have already kicked the tires on a Dan Haren deal. The Angels would love to get Rafael Betancourt from Colorado, but it's doubtful they'd deal their closer. The Angels could roll the dice on Jhoulys Chacin on the chance that his troubles are behind him. They may even build a deal around Jordan Pacheco, if the Rockies are serious about giving top prospect Nolan Arenado a shot at third base.
