According to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com, newly-acquired right hander Dan Haren has informed the Miami Marlins that he would still prefer to compete with a team on the West Coast. Earlier in the offseason when trade rumors started to come about involving Haren and his situation with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Haren told Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles that he had "no interest in playing in a city away from [his] family." Along with that declaration, the former All-Star had also mentioned that he would rather retire than play for a team that was not the Los Angeles Angels or Dodgers.
Haren was traded from the Dodgers to the Marlins last month during the Winter Meetings in a multi-player exchange involving Dee Gordon and top pitching prospect Andrew Heaney. As part of the deal, the Dodgers agreed to pay Haren's full $10-million salary. That stipulation means that if Haren opts to retire, that money will end up just going straight to the Marlins. Last month after the trade took place, Angels GM Jerry Dipoto had also come out saying his team was not interested in trading for the former Angel's services.
Last year as a member of the Dodgers, Haren was a solid back-of-the-rotation starter, posting an ERA of 4.02 while making 32 starts and staying relatively healthy. The truth, though, is that he is no longer the former workhorse or Cy Young award finalist he once was, and with both teams he is interested in having no interest in him, it seems rather likely that he will retire. At the moment, it is unknown as to what the Marlins or Dan Haren's next move will be as we begin to get closer and closer to the start of Spring Training.