Washington, DC – The Washington Nationals officially announced the signing of free-agent pitcher Dan Haren to a one-year contract on Friday.
FoxSports.com had reported on Tuesday that the defending National League East champions had come to an agreement with Haren, a three-time All-Star who spent the last 2 1/2 seasons with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, on a one-year deal worth $13.5 million during this past week's Winter Meetings.
Haren struggled through back injuries last season and was just 12-13 with a 4.33 ERA in 30 starts for the Angels, who declined a $15.5 million option on the right-hander last month. The down year came on the heels of one of his best performances as a pro, when he matched a career best with 16 wins to go along with a 3.17 ERA in a league-high 34 starts.
The 32-year-old has generally been very durable throughout his career, having thrown at least 216 innings in seven straight years from 2005-11.
Haren is 119-97 with a 3.66 ERA over 296 career games (286 starts) over 10 major league seasons and has previously pitched for St. Louis, Oakland and Arizona in addition to the Angels. He joins a loaded Nationals rotation that already includes phenom Stephen Strasburg, 21-game winner Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmermann.
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