Padres starting pitcher Aaron Harang declined his end of a mutual option with the San Diego Padres, reports the Associated Press. The AP added Harang missed an innings mark that would have triggered a $500K buyout. It was unclear how Harang hit free agency, though he appeared on the official free agency list.
About two weeks ago, former Padres general manager Jed Hoyer said the team was discussing internally on whether or not to accept starting pitcher's Aaron Harang's mutual option for the 2012 season. Now that we know the Padres decline their end of the mutual option, don't expect Harang to be a Padre in 2012, a team source told Dan Hayes of the North County Times.
Harang, a fly ball pitcher, posted a 3.64 ERA much to the credit of spacious PETCO Park. The 33-year-old struck out a career low 6.54 batters per nine innings, and walked a career high 3.06 batters per nine innings (minimum 16 starts). His performance wasn't abysmal, so he should be able to find a minor-league deal with an innings incentive(s).