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Angels Notes: Haren, Greinke, Hunter, Wells

By Mark Polishuk [November 1, 2012 at 8:59pm CST]

It could be a hectic Friday coming up for Dan Haren and the Angels, as MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez (Twitter link) hears that the Halos won't deal the right-hander today. That leaves just a matter of hours tomorrow for the Angels to make a decision on Haren's $15.5MM option for 2013, whether that decision is to exercise the option, buy it out for $3.5MM or trade Haren to another team. Here's the latest from the Big A...

In an e-mail to reporters (including Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times), Haren says he expects to be dealt before that Friday evening deadline. "I have had just a bit of dialogue with the Angels about my situation, but I’m kind of getting the feeling that I'll be traded," Haren wrote. "I have no specifics on teams, but that's the vibe I'm getting. It's a little bit disappointing that I won't get to pick where I want to go, but I'm the one who signed on for the option year."
Haren said he's willing to return to the team on a "fair" one-year contract if he isn't traded and the Halos decline the option. "I think the cost of replacing me as just the No. 4 starter, if they got Zack [Greinke] or someone else, wouldn't be too great, and it would only be for one year," Haren wrote.
The safest move for the Angels would be to keep Haren until Zack Greinke has been re-signed, opines Fangraphs' Jeff Sullivan. If Haren is traded and then Greinke signs elsewhere, the Angels will suddenly have a thin rotation behind Jered Weaver. Haren is a decent option on a net $12MM contract for 2013 and "if Haren can be traded now, he could probably be traded after Thanksgiving" should Greinke indeed return to Anaheim, Sullivan notes.
The Angels may only be able to bring back Torii Hunter if they clear payroll space by trading Vernon Wells, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. Hunter and the Angels have made "little progress" in negotiations and Hunter tells DiGiovanna that he hasn't spoken to anyone from the Angels in "a couple of weeks." We heard earlier this week that the Halos were unlikely to re-sign the veteran outfielder.
Hunter also added that he is open to playing for any team, as opposed to his statements in July about retiring if he doesn't end up with the Angels, Dodgers, Yankees or Rangers.