The LA Angels of Anaheim traded left-hander Joe Saunders over the weekend in exchange for Dan Haren, ace of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

It was an unceremonious end in Anaheim for Saunders, and his teary interview about it all demonstrated how a one-time golden child can end up with little overall value to a ball club – the dreaded “business” of sports.

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He was accompanied in the trade by three minor league players, all pitching prospects with only Dan Haren coming over from Arizona.

Times have changed for Saunders. the Angels #1 draft pick in 2002, paid $1.8 million in a signing bonus. He was written about  in the book, “Odd Man Out” by Matt McCarthy, a former minor league pitching prospect for the Angels.

As the team’s top pick and the number 12 pick overall in 2002, Saunders was seen as a star in training by his A-level minor league teammates. According to McCarthy, they all knew he was the favorite child and would be groomed differently than them.

It took three years for him to make his major league debut and it was inauspicious. Appearing in two games in late summer he didn’t distinguish himself as he gave up 8 earned runs in 10.1 innings.

In fact, it took until 2008 for him to have a breakout season. His record was 17-7 with an ERA of 3.41. He was vying for the club’s ace pitching spot with Jered Weaver after the inevitable departure of John Lackey.

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When that time came, Saunders wasn’t able to replicate his great season. While his 2009 record was an enviable 16-7, his ERA ballooned to 4.60, walking more players and giving up more home runs.

In 2010 he seemingly lost his command and his record sat at 6-10 when he got the news that his only baseball home was saying an unceremonious farewell, to acquire a true ace.

Saunders cried when interviewed and realized that his relationships of eight years standing as well as his comfortable Southern California lifestyle were now history.

It’s clearly not a rags to riches to rags story. Saunders has the stuff to recover and at his age, 29, he has time to do it. He is going to a club that has given up on the season by trading their ace and is out of the race in the NL West.

He won’t have to suffer too long in Arizona however, since he is on an expiring contract, having been signed for only one year at less than $4 million in the off season by the Angels.

In the end, Saunders was an expendable as anyone else on a ball club seeking to maintain relevance in the AL West pennant race. He just never thought the human sacrifice to help his team would be him.

Used with permission of the author.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles. 

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