Things just got a lot better in Anaheim. Despite falling seven games behind the division rival Rangers, the Angels and their fans just received an injection of hope. Even if the addition of Dan Haren isn’t enough to push the Halos past Texas in 2010, it is a significant boost for the future of the organization. It was a move the Angels needed to make in order to stay in the group of baseball’s true “World Series contenders.”
After losing Chone Figgins, Vladimir Guerrero, Darren Oliver and John Lackey to free agency this past off-season, the effects have clearly been noted on the field. With significant cogs of the team gone, the Angels had lost both depth and some of their swagger. And when Kendry Morales went down for the season, it was easy to see just how thin the Halos were being stretched. But with Dan Haren on board for years to come, they may have taken a major step in getting some of that swagger back.
The addition of Haren gives the Angels their own Big Three. The front of the rotation now includes two legitimate aces in Haren and Weaver, and a strong number two in Ervin Santana. Joel Piniero is a better no. 4 than most teams can boast, and if Scott Kazmir can ever find his mojo, you could contend that the Halos have the best starting corps in the league – or at least match anyone else’s.
The game has shifted back to pitching and defense after years of bloated long-balls and gargantuan offensive numbers. Tony Reagins has obviously taken note. While the offense has seemed the biggest woe for the team in 2010, Reagins instead made his biggest splash on the mound. Perhaps he still intends to add another bat beyond Alberto Callaspo. Whether he does or not remains to be seen, but Reagins can now feel stellar about his starting pitching in the present and in the coming years, and refocus his attention on the lineup and the bullpen.
The Angels’ three-headed monster appears locked in through at least 2012. Haren is signed through the next two years and has a $15 million club option for 2013. Weaver won’t become an unrestricted free agent until after the 2013 season, and Santana, like Haren, also has a 2013 club option. This sets up the Halos as serious contenders the next couple years. Should they advance to the post-season, a playoff rotation of Weaver-Haren-Santana with Piniero as a fourth starter is as good as there is. As we’ve all seen in recent years, starting pitching wins championships, and the Angels staff is certainly now of that caliber.
The Angels answered Texas’ addition of Cliff Lee in a big way by snatching up Haren. It still might not be enough to overcome a seven game deficit, but it at least gives them a chance – especially with ten games left against the Rangers. But regardless, the Angels definitely improved themselves significantly, carrying a new three-headed monster into their future.
By Blake Warren
