Mariners acquire Aaron Harang in trade with Rockies
Apr 11, 2013, 10:44 AM | Updated: 5:47 pm
By 710Sports.com staff
The Mariners have traded for starting pitcher Aaron Harang in a move they hope will bolster the back end of their rotation.
The Mariners acquired the right-hander Thursday in a trade with the Rockies, who receive minor-league reliever Steven Hensley in return. The Mariners are also receiving cash as part of the deal.
To make room on their 40-man roster, the Mariners designated reliever Kameron Loe for assignment. They have 10 days to trade, release or outright him to the minors.
Harang, 34, has a 105-104 record with a 4.19 ERA in 11 MLB seasons. The right-hander was traded last week from the Dodgers to the Rockies, who designated him for assignment.
Harang is scheduled to earn $7 million in 2013 and then has a $2 million buyout for 2014 or a mutual option worth $7 million-$8 million depending on how many innings he pitches this year. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports that the Mariners will take on just $1.5 million of Harang’s salary.
The trade comes on the heels of another poor outing from a starter on the back end of the Mariners’ rotation. No. 5 starter Blake Beavan allowed five earned runs on 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings Wednesday. A night earlier, rookie Brandon Maurer failed to make it out of the first inning in his second career start, allowing six earned runs on seven hits.
Those starts came against an Astros team that is considered among the worst in baseball. Houston had scored just nine runs over its previous six games.
Harang is due to arrive in Seattle on Friday. Where he slots into the rotation remains to be seen as he has yet to pitch in a game this season. Maurer was hit hard a week earlier in his major-league debut, but manager Eric Wedge indicated that he would make his next scheduled start. Beavan appeared to struggle with his new mechanics in his last start and there is a good chance that he could be moved to the bullpen to work that out, but there is also the option to send him down.
Loe had allowed eight earned runs and six homers in four relief appearances this season.
