Addition of Dan Haren boosts Washington Nationals’ chances for 2013 Major League season-MLB Update
Just a day or two ago, Washington Nationals officially announced addition of Dan Haren in their rotation. Signing a veteran at $13 million for one-year, it is evident that the Nationals are looking to build on their remarkable 2012 season campaign and achieve
something substantial.
Apart from a down 2012 year for Dan Haren, he has been excellent since making his Major League debut.
Known for giving up the least number of runs and striking out right-handers with his cutters, experts are terming Haren a healthy addition in an already strong rotation of the Nationals.
Haren's experience at the Major League level is one of the biggest advantages that the Nationals will have of his presence. It is because in the last season Washington lost their momentum during the playoffs due to the failure to absorb pressure.
The likes of Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmermann, who performed tremendously well during the regular season, all of a sudden floundered in the post-season.
Belonging to a team which rarely has been through pressure cooker games in the past, it was a great challenge for them to spearhead the campaign during the nail-biters.
Unfortunately, they could not rise up to the occasion as they failed to take the Nationals deep in the post-season.
Keeping their struggle in the last season in mind, the Nationals’ officials are mindful of what is the most important issue to address during the off-season.
In order to avoid letting the golden opportunity of winning the World Series squander again, they are making necessary adjustments on the roster.
Inclusion of Haren in the team reflects their plan about the upcoming season. By incorporating veterans, they aim to minimise the impact of a pressure element on the outcomes of their games.
Haren is extremely pleased to join the Nationals. Though he had a number of offers on the table before he signed, he chose Washington. He loves contributing towards their successes.
"I didn't really push teams too far," Haren said. "I think I could have maybe held out a few days longer or even held out til now. But I just thought that if the Nationals were competitive with what the other teams were offering that the Nationals were just
a better fit for me.”
Just like him, the Nationals also had him as their target as soon as the offseason began. Their officials knew as to which free agent can fulfil their criteria precisely.
For the same reason, when the Los Angeles Angels bought-out his contract and declined the option on him, the Nationals approached Haren right away.
Haren will be looking to adjust to the new club quickly and add to their strength.
It will be interesting to see how he contributes toward the notion of the Nationals having a formidable rotation in the National League East Division during the upcoming season.
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