The Angels are reportedly looking into trades involving Dan Haren and Ervin Santana. (Ed Zurga/Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Angels are engaging in exploratory trade talks involving pitchers Dan Haren and Ervin Santana, CBS’ Jon Heyman reported on Monday.

From Heyman’s report:

The Los Angeles Angels have at least explored the possibility of trading starting pitchers Dan Haren and Ervin Santana before their options come due in a couple of days, executives with other teams said.

One competing executive suggested he believed it might be hard to trade either pitcher based on their sub-par seasons. There is also an expectation the Angels won’t exercise the pitchers’ options, which would make them free agents.

The Angels’ deadline to decide on the starters’ options is three days after the World Series. Haren’s option is for $15.5 million, while Santana’s is for $13 million.

Los Angeles would like to free up money to attempt to re-sign starter Zack Greinke, who headlines the free-agent starting pitcher class this offseason. Greinke was 15-5 with a 3.48 ERA this season. Contract numbers like five years and $120 million have been thrown out as possibilities for the 29-year-old.

This season, Haren was 12-13 with 4.33 ERA, while Santana went 9-13 with a 5.16 ERA.

Tim Kurkjian of ESPN.com reports that the Los Angeles Angels have discussed a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays that would send righthander James Shields out west for centerfielder Peter Bourjos and catcher Hank Conger.

Kurkjian’s source said that Angels righthander Ervin Santana could also be included in the trade.

The Angels haven’t gotten everything they thought they would get out of their top four starters, with Dan Haren and Santana having struggled. Shields has had a down year (8-6, 4.39 ERA), but he’d won at least 11 games and pitched at least 195 innings in five straight seasons entering 2012.

As for the Rays, Kurkjian writes that they likely view Bourjos as the heir to B.J. Upton, who probably will leave as a free agent after the season.