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The Los Angeles Angels were close to trading starting pitcher Dan Haren to the Chicago Cubs for reliever Carlos Marmol, but the deal fell through late Friday night. With the trade off, the Angels have decided not to pick up Haren's $15.5 million option, MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez reported. Haren is now a free agent, but the Angels still owe him $3.5 million for not exercising the 2013 option.
Marmol had to wave his no-trade clause for this move to go down, but for some reason, the Cubs pulled the offer from the table. The Boston Red Sox were also interested in landing Haren, but the two sides were never really that close.
The free agent market for pitchers has now improved with Haren joining the list of eligible players. Even though Haren did not have the best year of his career, finishing up with a 12-13 record with a 4.33 ERA, he will still be coveted by many clubs this offseason.
