Rockies trade Aaron Harang to Mariners in return for Steven Hensley

I’ve been doing my best to stay updated on the whole Aaron Harang situation, and it was finally settled today.

Oct.1, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Aaron Harang (44) pitches against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Incase you were unaware, Harang was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers last week for Ramon Hernandez. I liked that deal. The Rockies gave up a veteran catcher for a decent veteran starter. The Rockies needed a starter, got one, but decided to trade him away. Word got out that the Rockies were planning on trading Harang right away, and that’s what they did this afternoon.

The news broke around noon that Harang will be headed to the Seattle Mariners in return for RHP Steven Hensley. I understand that money came into the problem here and that is why they didn’t want to hang onto Harang. They didn’t get much in return though. Hensley is a mediocre minor league pitcher. In 2012, he pitched in Triple-A and had an ERA over six. He only won 2 games in 24 starts.

Okay, so maybe he has some developing to do.

Yeah, that’s obviously true, but he’s already 26 years old. He was drafted in 2005 by the Washington Nationals. He’s not that young of a player, and by the time he is developed into a good pitcher, if he ever is, he might be close to 30 years old.

It was a 1-for-1 deal, and I don’t like what the Rockies got in return. It makes sense to search for young talent, but a 26-year old player isn’t necessarily all that young nowadays in the MLB. Harang is old, and maybe an average pitcher, but he would help out what was the worst rotation in the league from a season ago.

All-in-all, the Rockies traded Ramon Hernandez for Steven Hensley. Hernandez isn’t that big of a loss. He can take his average catching and mediocre hitting to the Dodgers, and hopefully Hensley can make me look like a fool.