JUPITER -- The uncertain status of Dan Haren was put to rest Friday when the veteran hurler said he was "committed" to pitching for the Marlins.

Haren, who had threatened to retire before being traded to the Marlins in December, said he intended to continue his career in Miami despite reservations after the deal was completed.

"I'm happy to be here," Haren told reporters as pitchers and catchers reported Friday. "I had a good talk with (manager) Mike Redmond earlier this morning, so I'm ready to get going. I'll do my thing. I never had any conversations with the front office, trade me or else. Maybe they got the feeling after a while because there wasn’t that much commnication at the beginning."

Haren acknowledged that while the trade came as a "shock" and he took his time making up his mind about whether or not to retire, he eventually concluded to continue after discussing the situation with his family.

Haren also said he never demanded the Marlins trade him to a West Coast team, where he had always preferred to play.

"I think a lot of things were probably overblown," Haren said. "I never really said anything directly to anyone, to media at all. A lot of it was just reports. I wanted to make sure I was going to be 100 percent committed, into it. I didn’t want to put any less effort. Once I was committed in the offseason into putting in the work, I was ready to go."

Haren, who underwent off-season surgery on his left (non-throwing) shoulder, figures to hold down the fifth spot in the rotation.

"I had surgery in the non-throwing shoulder earlier in the offseason," Haren said. "I really wouldn’t have done that if I wasn’t committed to playing. When the trade happened, my family had a tough time with it. I talked to (Marlins president of baseball operations) Mike Hill, and he gave me time. And I had to talk to the family to make sure they were going to do it again. And I wanted to make sure I was 100 percent into it because I didn’t want to say, 'Ok, I’ll go to Miami.' I didn’t want to give a half-hearted effort."

But Haren said the trade gave him pause for a while.

"The trade, it surprised me for sure," he said. "It was out there saying I would retire if I got traded. But not having a no-trade clause, you have to use other methods as leverage. So I definitely considered retiring."

Haren said he also had about an hour-long phone conversation with Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria in January about his decision.

"I felt like I was kind of portrayed as being snobby or stuck up," Haren said. "It was really kind of the opposite. Sometime after the holidays, I let them know I was ready to go."

Haren told ESPN.com in November -- before the trade -- that he would rather retire than pitch anywhere else than on the West Coast.

"My signing with the Dodgers last year and my decision to exercise my player option were based on my desire to play in Southern California near my family," Haren told ESPN in an email in November. "I had other opportunities, but at this point in my career, I have no interest in playing in a city away from my family."

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Jose Fernandez said he is practicing patience with his surgically repaired arm, but acknowledged he is itching to get back on the mound.

“I want to pitch tomorrow in the big leagues. Are you kidding me?," Fernandez said. "That’s who I am. But I think you’ve got to be smart. You’ve got to take care of your arm. It’s not only about you. It’s about your teammates. They’re counting on me, and I think you’ve got to be responsible enough to take the proper care of your arm.”

Fernandez, who underwent Tommy John surgery last May, is projected to return to the mound for the Marlins in mid-summer (he said doctors have given him a target date of July 16), and begin throwing off a mound in spring training the first week of March.

"Honestly, who knows when I'm going to come back?" Fernandez said. "I think that goes on how I feel. I'm really not going to have a date until five days before that start."

Fernandez has been throwing off flat ground from a distance of 150 feet and began throwing a breaking ball for the first time earlier this week.

He said he has not experienced any setbacks during his recovery.

"So far there hasn't been any discomfort, any setbacks," he said. "I haven’t felt anything in my arm, at all. It’s funny, because it feels like I never had a surgery. The strike zone is there. The location is there. I’m throwing everyday. 150 feet. I started throwing breaking balls this week. No pain. Nothing weird."