Dan Haren rumors: Teams unwilling to offer multi-year deal

While most executives love free agent right-hander Dan Haren, they would not be comfortable offering him more than two years due to the back issues he faced last season, reports Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe:

Most executives we speak to love Haren but because of his back issues would not be comfortable offering any more than two years — most prefer one year and an option.

While Cafardo mentions two years, he adds that most executives would prefer only one guaranteed year with an option over a two-year commitment. One American League executive lists Haren as "the free agent player who is having his medical records gone through with a fine-tooth comb more than anyone." While teams may love the durability Haren has shown in the past, the anonymous exec says they now "have to be careful."

Despite missing three weeks of action due to injury last season, Haren still managed to start 30 games for the Los Angeles Angels. It was his eighth-consecutive season with at least 30 starts. The 32-year-old owns a career ERA of 3.66 with 7.2 strikeouts per nine innings and 1.9 walks per nine innings.