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The Chicago Cubs have acquired pitcher Dan Haren from the Miami Marlins for AA pitcher Ivan Pineyro and AA shortstop Elliot Soto.
Haren was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2nd round of the 2001 MLB Draft and made his debut in 2003. He is in his 13th season and the Cubs will be his 8th team. He is a 3-time All-Star with 149 career wins.
Haren will join Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, Jason Hammel, and Kyle Hendricks in the Cubs’ rotation. Haren has a 3.42 ERA and a 1.093 WHIP. The Cubs have not had a consistent 5th starter this season. Outside of Lester, Arrieta, Hammel, and Hendricks, nobody has started more than 7 games for the Cubs. The addition of Haren give the Cubs 5 legitimate starters in their rotation.
The Cubs are currently 2 games out of the second Wild Card spot. They are trying to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2008. They have young stars in Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Starling Castro and they are making a run at ending their playoff drought.
They are chasing the San Francisco Giants for that final Wild Card spot. The Giants have won 8 of their last 10 games and have overtaken the Cubs for that spot. The Giants added Mike Leake and now the Cubs have strengthened their rotation.
Haren will be a free agent at the end of the season.
All MLB trades are pending medical reviews.
Statistics are courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and MLB.com.
