Yankees Free Agent Target: Dan Haren

Wait, no, don't walk away. This is totally legitimate. Dan Haren hasn't been good in two years. He was once really good, now he's really bad. Just take a look at what's going on with him.

The Yankees have two starting pitchers going into the offseason. Then there's David Phelps, Adam Warren, Vidal Nuno and stuff. Also there's Michael Pineda and Manny Banuelos. And Masahiro Tanaka, too. But let's look at Haren anyway because you're already here.

He put up a 4.33 ERA in 2012 and 4.67 ERA in 2013. Neither are good, but his FIP actually improved this year (4.09) over last year's (4.24). Ok, maybe improved is a strong word, maybe it's less bad instead. Look at his xFIP over the last two seasons and you'll see what his problem is: home runs. In 2012 he had a 4.00 xFIP, which was only slightly better than his FIP, but in 2013 he had a decent 3.67 xFIP.

His 1.43 and 1.49 HR/FB rate over the last two seasons show that he's really home run prone. While he's had some problems with home runs over the years, he's been devastated by them recently. He's always had a ground ball rate in the low-to-mid 40s, but it's fallen into the 30s in the last two seasons. He had good peripherals in 2013 with a 8.01 K/9 and 1.64 BB/9, but like Phil Hughes, it all comes down to the home runs.

Unfortunately, the Yankees aren't really a good match for him. He might have strong peripherals, but until he can correct his home run rates, he's better off finding a home in a large ballpark that can help him return to his normal rates. He's been worth $7 to $8 million over the last two seasons, so he would be an affordable fifth starter, however the Nationals paid him $13 million this past season and the Yankees are better off going with an internal option. Even though he struggled, David Phelps proved to be worth $5.6 million and made league minimum in 2013. I'll take that before I take a chance on Haren.

See, that wasn't so bad. Dan Haren isn't a good fit in Yankee Stadium, but he isn't as crazy of an idea as you might think. Hey, maybe the Yankees think he can right the ship, but probably not. You can go now, but after you say something below.

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