Philadelphia Phillies interested in veteran Aaron Harang
By Jake Misener
According to Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Phillies have interest in adding veteran right-hander Aaron Harang, who experienced a rejuvenation last season as a member of the Atlanta Braves.
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With Atlanta, Harang, 36, surpassed 200 innings pitched for the first time since 2007, winning 12 games and pitching to the tune of a 3.57 ERA and an identical 3.57 FIP – re-establishing his value as an innings-eater. He made just $1 million last year and after his strong performance with the Braves, he will no doubt be in for a pay raise. Joining the Phillies in pursuit of Harang are Atlanta and the Colorado Rockies – both of whom need pitching depth heading into next season.
The right-hander was drafted in the sixth round of the 1999 MLB Amateur Draft by the Texas Rangers and made his big league debut with Oakland three years later, going 5-4 in 16 starts with a 4.83 earned run average, 1.570 WHIP and 4.33 FIP. Since then, he has spent time with several teams, including the Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners – and the aforementioned Braves.
Philadelphia has been active this offseason, most notably trading Jimmy Rollins to the Dodgers – but the club’s most valuable trade chip, left-hander Cole Hamels, remains under team control for the time being. The club is strapped with several high dollar contracts with aging veterans such as Ryan Howard – and a rebuild appears likely, making a short-term deal for someone like Harang attractive.
Harang averaged 7.1 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 – but his tendencies of being a fly-ball pitcher could make Citizens Bank Ballpark a troubling home for the veteran, as pointed out by MLBTR. Regardless, the short-term deal and his bounceback campaign last year may be enough to help the right-hander land a decent payday as he winds down his big league career in the years to come.