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Harangatang on the move?June 30th, 2008
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After watching Bronson Arroyo surrender a touchdown, two-point conversion and a field goal to the dismal Toronto Blue Jays offense Tuesday night I began to wonder if Arroyo, and his rather robust ERA, were suddenly expendable in the Queen City.
After all, with the emergence of guys like Edinson Volquez, Johny Cueto and Darryl Thompson, not to mention promising young prospects like Matt Maloney and Homer Bailey in AAA, the Reds starting rotation possesses more depth now than it ever has.
Ever.
I thought maybe, just maybe, the Reds would work out a deal shipping Arroyo to a contender looking to bolster its pitching staff for a second-half run.
Then I realized something.
No contender would want Arroyo and his astronomical ERA.
However, I was right about one thing. The aforementioned emergence of young Reds pitching prospects in recent months has made a Reds starting pitcher expendable.
Who is it, you ask?
Aaron Harang.
The Redlegs big right-hander has struggled this season, stumbling his way to a 3-10 record. That said, his ERA is still around four and a half, which is more than reasonable. The one-time ace is battle tested and is practically unhittable when on his game.
Furthermore, the dumping of his salary, coupled with the impending trade/free agent release of Ken Griffey Jr. and/or Adam Dunn, would free up badly needed funds to ensure guys like Jeff Keppinger, Jay Bruce, Joey Votto, Volquez, Cueto, and Thompson will be in Cincinnati for a very, very long time.
As for Arroyo? Well, he’s still rather hit and miss, generally more miss than hit, especially recently. Even still, he can serve as a piece to our rebuilding puzzle; and if not there’s always the ‘ol “Designate for Assignment.”
For the record, I don’t want to see Aaron Harang traded. I like the guy, I really do. More to the point, I still feel perfectly comfortable with him on the mound every fifth day. This is what Harang would give to a potential contender seeking starting pitching help for a second-half push.
You tell me, if you’re a Chicago White Sox fan in a must win game at home against Cleveland in late September, who would you rather have on the mound, Aaron Harang or Jose Contreras?
Furthermore, a deal for Harang could possible return some badly needed puzzle pieces the Reds seek now. For instance, a quality a corner outfielder with a lifetime average above .275, a catching prospect for the future or some decent middle relief help.
Anyone who’s ever followed my writing at all, which has historically consisted of my father, best friend, three fifteen-year olds and anyone who mistakenly stumbled upon my blog while trying to surf porn at three in the morning, knows full well my bitter, unresolved anger towards former front-office regimes who have sent our best players packing in a series of short-sided trades that never panned out.
Let the record reflect that is not what is being proposed in this space. The difference between a trade for Aaron Harang and the past Aaron Boone, Sean Casey and Felipe Lopez/Austin Kearns deals is that there is a definite plan in place for this ballclub.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the Reds boast future cornerstones with the last names of Bruce, Votto, Keppinger, Cueto, Volquez, Thompson, Maloney and Bailey. The reprehensible act would not be to trade Aaron Harang, or even Dunn or Griffey for that matter; rather the reprehensible act would be to allow even one of those cornerstones slip away.
With that in mind, the Cincinnati Reds must do everything in their power to keep those players. Even if that means trading away a proven ace to get their. Look, I love Aaron Harang, but he is not the future ace of this team, Edinson Volquez is, and if the Reds can get some long-term help for their new ace in exchange for their old ace, they’d be remiss not to do so.
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