Haren Passing Physical Far From A Sure Thing

I know you’re tired of hearing about Dan Haren at this point, but I have good news and bad news.

The good news is, if Haren passes his physical, the Nationals have their fifth starter.

The bad news is, Haren passing that physical is hardly a certainty.

The Nationals may be back in search of a fifth starter if Dan Haren fails his physical, and that’s starting to sound more and more like a reality. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports that the Boston Red Sox medical staff “did not like what they saw” when looking over the medical reports on Haren’s hip. These supposed issues are the same thing that appeared to cancel the Angels’ trade with the Cubs back in November that would’ve sent Haren to Chicago in exchange for reliever Carlos Marmol.

Everything you’ve heard about the Nationals’ shopping list being almost finished could potentially change in the next 24 hours. Dan Kolko of MASN Sports reports that “based on what I’m hearing around the lobby of the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, that clearance is not sounding like a sure thing.”

If Haren fails his physical and the Nats opt not to sign him, just like that everything becomes fair game again. The Michael Morse for starting pitching rumors (though they never truly died) will start up all over again, the potential for Danny Espinosa to be dealt increases, and frankly, the chances that the Nationals spend money and go grab an Anibal Sanchez or even a Zack Greinke also increase significantly, relatively speaking.

Optimism is not at a surplus right now, and we’ll continue to monitor this story over the next couple of hours. Stay tuned for the latest on all things Hot Stove here at District On Deck.