The San Diego Padres have begun to retool after having their starting rotation decimated. They lost Jon Garland and Kevin Correia, who combined for 24 wins last year, and also saw Chris Young leave the team, who was injured for most of the season, but who also has the potential to be an excellent pitcher in the middle of a rotation. Reports are surfacing that the Padres have inked former Cincinnati Reds starter Aaron Harang to a one-year deal worth $3 million.
 

Harang’s career has been up and down from the start, literally. He came up with Oakland in 2004, but went to Cincinnati in a trade in 2005. He hovered around the .500 mark for a few seasons to start his career before going 16-11 in 2006 and 16-6 in 2007, when he finished fourth in Cy Young voting. His next three seasons saw him go a combined 18-38, getting a mere six wins per season.

Harang was once touted as the pitcher of the future for the Reds. He dominated, but then was dominated in return. Was there something physically wrong with Harang or his delivery? Did he just wear out his welcome in Cincinnati? Will he turn his career around as a 32-year-old in San Diego? We’ll have to wait to find out any of these answers. It’s all on Harang right now to make the most of this opportunity.

Harang will enter San Diego not as the ace of the staff, but he could possibly turn into an important piece for the club. With so few starting pitchers not completely above the Padres’ budget available, they could have done much worse than Harang. Now, the right-hander will return to his hometown and pitcher-friendly Petco Park. Of course, this all is contingent on an actual deal being signed, but with all the chat going on right now, it’s probably safe to say that we’ll be seeing Harang in a Padres uniform in 2011.