January 05, 2015
The Phillies, who have already added minor-league pitching depth this offseason by acquiring Tom Windle and Zach Eflin in the deal that sent Jimmy Rollins to the Dodgers, made a move to bolster their rotation at the big league level with the addition of veteran right-hander Aaron Harang.
It will be a one-year, $5 million deal with performance and awards bonuses, the team announced Monday.
At 36 years old, Harang is clearly not a part of the long-term picture, but provides a stopgap in the middle of the rotation as general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. attempts the first legitimate rebuild since taking over for David Montgomery following the team’s 2008 World Series title.
"Aaron brings a wealth of experience and durability to our rotation," Amaro said in a statement. "He had a very solid season for the Braves last year and will complement the left-handers in our rotation nicely."
Harang made 33 starts for the Braves last season and went 12-12 with a 3.57 ERA. It’s also worth noting that despite his age, Harang pitched 204.1 innings, the fourth time in his career he topped the 200-inning mark. By comparison, A.J. Burnett led the Phillies in innings pitched last season with 213.2, followed by Cole Hamels at 204.2 and Kyle Kendrick with 199.
He’ll join a Phillies rotation that is expected to include Hamels (assuming he isn’t traded in the next few weeks), Cliff Lee, and some combination of Jerome Williams, David Buchanan, Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, and Jonathan Pettibone.
Kendrick, who has been with the Phillies since 2007 and shown the ability to eat up innings as a starter while also providing long relief, is currently a free agent, and that begs the question as to whether or not the Harang deal is a sign* that the team has moved on from Kendrick.
*Another sign would be the shear fact that the Phillies let Kendrick become a free agent to begin with after the righty spent his entire career in red pinstripes.
While Kendrick, 30, is the younger of the two, their 2014 numbers are quite similar, the advantage goes to Harang.
HARANG:
12-12, 204.1 IP, 3.57 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 215 H, 71 BB, 161 K, 2.27 SO/W
KENDRICK:
10-13, 199.0 IP, 4.61 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 214 H, 57 BB, 121 K, 2.12 SO/W
Not only does this figure to be a short-term upgrade in the middle of what has suddenly become a very top-heavy rotation, but the $5 million price tag is a bargain compared to what the Phillies paid Kendrick last season ($7.675 million).
It’s a shame that it took a total roster overhaul for Amaro to realize that a guy like Kendrick isn’t worth that kind of money, especially if he isn’t part of your long-term plan.
Harang, who has a career record of 122-128 with a 4.21 ERA in 358 games, was originally selected by the Texas Rangers in the sixth round of the 1999 draft and has pitched for the A's (2002-03), Reds (2003-10), Padres (2011), Dodgers (2012), Mariners (2013), Mets (2013) and Braves (2014).
