Daily links for the LA Angels including Haren hurt in his debut, Kohn called up to the majors, plenty of reaction to the Haren trade and much more.
The Story: Dan Haren left last night’s game after being struck in the forearm by a comebacker.
The Monkey Says: It looked bad at first, but it seems like he managed to avoid major damage. For now, the injury is being called a contusion, but the team doctor is going to re-evaluate Haren at some point today. Stay tuned.
The Story: The Angels called up reliever Michael Kohn and demoted Trevor Bell.
The Monkey Says: Kohn has been rocketing through the Angel system and could be an impact reliever, but he is still rather raw and has control issues. Still, this is another bold move by the Angel front office to try and give the team a push. As for Bell, he is expendable for now since the Angels can use their upcoming off days to avoid using a fifth starter until August 9th at which point the team will either have to recall Bell, activate Scott Kazmir or maybe call up Matt Palmer.
The Story: Tony Reagins isn’t done looking for trades.
The Monkey Says: Good, because this team still can’t hit and badly needs a reliable five-hole hitter and I don’t really care what position he plays at this point. Check back in later today because I have some ideas on who it is Tony Reagins might be after.
The Story: The Diamondbacks may have overrated Joe Saunders based on his winning percentage.
The Monkey Says: When did Joe Morgan and my father take over as GM for Arizona? I kind of feel like that is just spin from the Arizona front office, but if that is really the way they are thinking right now, I suggest Tony Reagins get right back on the phone with them to see who else he can steal from them. Justin Upton, anyone?
The Story: Why other MLB teams may not be as high on Dan Haren.
The Monkey Says: No, Haren isn’t a classic power pitcher, but his strikeout numbers clearly show that he has good stuff and knows how to pitch. He may not be Hall of Fame level awesome, but I see no reason why he can’t continue to be a top pitcher in this league for years to come.
The Story: Dan Haren is so much better than Scott Kazmir.
The Monkey Says: Saying that Haren was just Kazmir the sequel was a popular reaction after the deal first broke, but all the points in this article clearly show the difference between the two and that is before we even discuss that Kazmir’s issues are largely related to a history of arm problems whereas Haren has been a picture of perfect health in his career.
The Story: A partial no-trade clause may be the reason Haren ended up with the Angels.
The Monkey Says: Haren had the right to block 12 teams, so it was likely a factor, but some are even saying that his no-trade clause cost the D’Backs negotiating leverage thus resulting in them getting robbed. That doesn’t fly with me though because I am sure that some team not on Haren’s list could’ve swooped in with a better offer if Arizona had just waited it out.
The Story: Saying goodbye to Joe Saunders is hard to do.
The Monkey Says: Maybe I am just a heartless bastard, but I really am not all the broken up over losing Saunders. He seemed like a great dude by all accounts, but he was not a special talent. Baseball is a business and just because a player is a nice guy is no reason to pine over him too much. Still, I wish him the best of luck with the rest of his career.