The Diamondbacks have traded 29-year old righty starting pitcher Dan Haren to the Angels for 29-year old lefty starting pitcher Joe Saunders, 21-year old starting pitcher Patrick Corbin, 25-year old righty reliever Rafael Rodriguez and a player to be named later. Haren started 21 games for the D-Backs this year and he was 7-8 with a 4.60 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. In three years with the D-Backs, Haren pitched in 87 games (all starts) and he was 37-26 with a 3.56 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. Joe Saunders will replace Haren in the D-Backs’ starting rotation. Saunders has started 20 games for the Angels this year and he is 6-10 with a 4.62 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP. In his six years in the majors, Saunders has pitched in 115 games (all starts) for the Angels and he is 54-32 with a 4.29 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. Righty reliever Rafael Rodriguez was the Angels’ #22 ranked prospect coming into this season as he will likely join the D-Backs bullpen right now. He pitched in 1 game for the Angels this year and he was 0-0 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. He has now pitched in 19 games (0 starts) in parts of two years in the majors and he is 0-1 with a 5.51 ERA and a 1.81 WHIP. Rodriguez has pitched in 37 games in AAA-ball for the Angels this year and he was 5-3 with 10 saves, a 3.04 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. Lefty starter Patrick Corbin was the Angels’ #12 prospect heading into this season according to Baseball America. He has started 20 games in A-ball this year and he is 13-3 with a 3.87 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. He has now pitched 2 years in the minors working in 33 games (32 starts) in which he is 17-5 with a 4.20 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. The player to be named later is also expected to be one of the Angels top prospects. This was a nice haul for Dan Haren as Saunders will replace him in the rotation with Rodriguez helping out in the pen right away. Corbin and the player to be named later are highly thought of prospects who will help the D-Backs down the road. Give the D-Backs a thumbs up in this deal.

UPDATE: (7/26/2010) - It is being reported that the player to be named later in this deal is 19-year old lefty starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs. Skaggs was the Angels’ #8 prospect heading into this season according to Baseball America. Skaggs has pitched in 19 games (14 starts) in A-ball this year and he is 8-4 with a 3.61 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. He has pitched in 24 games (16 starts) in his first two years as a pro. He has pitched in 24 games (16 starts) in his first two years and he is 8-4 with a 3.41 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. Skaggs also has whiffed 95 batters in only 92 1/3 innings in the minors showing what kind of stuff he has. This was a big chip for the D-Backs to add in the Haren trade.