What the Rockies are Doing with Aaron Harang - UPDATE, what's in it for L.A.

[splitterpfj]

Tracy Ringolsby, who covers the Rockies, was just on the MLB Network, check this out...

 

Colorado traded Ramon Hernandez to the Dodgers, for Aaron Harang - the Rockies have now DFA'd Harang.

 

The deal is this, LA picked up all of Harang's salary, and threw in an extra million. No matter what happens, the Rockies just saved a million dollars, which will pay for Jon Garland, who was a recent add.

 

There are teams who have interest in Harang...the Red Sox, the Orioles, and Houston for sure, and possibly the Angels now that Weaver is out. If the Rockies can't find a trade, they simply let Harang go, and they've made a good financial move, and if they get a player for him, that's obviously a win.

 

The Rockies can pass along the cash to pay for Harang, making him free for the team that gets him, he won't impact payroll.

 

I give Colorado credit for trying this, John Lackey and Jered Weaver have both gone down in recent days, and we all know "pitchers get hurt"...they may find a market for a guy they never had any intention of keeping.

[Oxy]

Sounds like a closer to me. Pick him up, Doug.

[Patrick425]

So basically, LA is paying over $10 million for Ramon Hernandez?!? Wow, must be nice to have money to burn. I question that they really had this hard of a time getting rid of Aaron Harang. The Cubs agreed to pay Scott Feldmen $6mil a year as a FA, but no one wants to pay a dime for Harang? I don't get it.

[craigharmann]

Can he play first?

[folly412]

Can he play first?

 

If he spent an inning there in tee ball, he's more experienced than Gonzalez or Yuni was coming into the season.

[torts]

Can he play first?

 

no, he's still learning short

[logan82]

Can he play first?

 

no, he's still learning short

Doesn't matter. Yuni never learned to play SS and he can play 1B, oh wait...

[splitterpfj]

Harang has been traded to Seattle.

[splitterpfj]

Pay attention to this story - it may very well signal the start of a new era.

 

The Dodgers' reason for doing this was to get Harang off the books, to save money. They poured a bunch of money into this deal, literally, just get him off the books...because keeping him would have increased their luxury payroll tax by more than what they gave the Rockies to take him.

 

The Dodgers cut their tax, and the Rockies wound up with a million bucks in the exchange, if this catches on, we'll see the biggest market teams do this all day long.

[trwi7]

Loe DFA'd to make room for Harang.

[torts]

BRING BACK LOE!!!