In Surprise Move, Angels Land Dan Haren From Diamondbacks For Four Players

As expected, Dan Haren has been traded from the Arizona Diamondbacks today for a stable of young arms. What was not expected, however, is his destination. After being rumored as a target for New York and Philadelphia, Haren instead finds himself on the move to Anaheim, joining the Angels. Per our Arizona Diamondbacks blog, the AZ Snake Pit:

It has just been announced that Dan Haren has been traded to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for for Joe Saunders, Patrick Corbin, Rafael Rodriguez and a player to be named.

Joe Saunders is a left-handed starting pitcher, with a career ERA+ of 104, who is arbitration-eligible for the 2011 and 2012 seasons. Patrick Corbin is another lefty, currently starting for the Angels High-A affiliate - he only turned 21 last week. Rafael Rodriguez is a right-handed reliever, who has only thrown 32.2 innings in the majors. Nick Piecoro just tweeted "Told the player to be named in the deal is a top prospect..."

Also, as AZ Snake Pit notes, the deal has benefits that last longer than just the end of the season, unlike most trade-deadline deals; Haren's under a relatively affordable contract for the next few seasons, meaning he can be built around over time. Sure, the Angels lose a few arms, but they've got a proven elite lefty in their rotation now; that's hard to beat.

Meanwhile, the trade is especially tough news for the Yankees; while the Angels aren't likely to take a wild card spot from a New York squad that's 11 games ahead of them, this trade does mean that the team's ability to turn a struggling Joba Chamberlain (and two minor leagers) into a quality starting arm is diminished.