Cubs acquire Rich Harden AND Chad Gaudin from the A's...
- Thread starter Coach34
- Start date
......is not big enough for the collective feelings of Coach, Jobu and me. I am sure there are other Cub fans here that I can't recall.
we didn't give up too much.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20080708&content_id=3091876&vkey=pr_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc
<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="581" border="0"> <tbody> <tr valign="top"> <td> <div class="hl"> Cubs acquire right-handed pitchers Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin from Oakland </div> <div class="subHeadLite"> Send pitcher Sean Gallagher, outfielder Matt Murton, infielder Eric Patterson and cathcer John Donaldson to Athletics </div> <div class="byLine">
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</a> </div>CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs today acquired right-handed pitchers Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin from the Oakland Athletics for right-handed pitcher Sean Gallagher, outfielder Matt Murton, infielder Eric Patterson and catcher Josh Donaldson. Harden, 26, is 36-19 with a 3.42 ERA (206 ER/541.2 IP) in 97 appearances (89 starts) in all or part of the last six seasons with Oakland. He has 523 strikeouts in 541.2 innings pitched, an average of 8.7 strikeouts per nine innings, and has limited opponents to a .224 batting average. He pitched in the 2003 and 2006 postseasons. The righthander is 5-1 with a 2.34 ERA (20 ER/77.0 IP) in 13 starts this season with Oakland, fanning 92 batters in 77.0 innings, an average of 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings. His 2.34 ERA would rank second in the majors behind only Oakland's Justin Duchscherer (1.98), but he is just shy of the necessary innings to qualify. Harden's .206 batting average against would rank third in the majors. He has 92 strikeouts and 31 walks this season, one strikeout shy of a three-to-one strikeout-to-walk ratio. Harden has allowed only five home runs in 77.0 innings. Among pitchers with at least 12 starts this season, Harden leads the majors with 10.75 strikeouts per nine innings (San Francisco's Tim Lincecum is next at 9.49) and he ranks 12th with 10.40 baserunners allowed per nine innings. Harden spent one month this season on the disabled list (April 10-May 11) with a strained right shoulder and has averaged six innings per start since returning, four times pitching into the seventh inning or beyond. He has turned in a quality start in seven of his last 10 outings, posting a 2.02 ERA (14 ER/62.1 IP) and a .190 batting average against in that span starting May 17. Overall, he has allowed two earned runs or less in 10 of his 13 starts. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Harden went 3-0 with a 0.68 ERA (2 ER/26.2 IP) in four starts vs. the National League during interleague play this season, limiting those foes to a .132 batting average. In his career, Harden is 5-1 with a 1.81 ERA (11 ER.54.2 IP) in 10 interleague appearances, nine as a starter. A native of Victoria, British Columbia, Harden is 10-3 with a 2.95 ERA (49 ER/149.1 IP) during the last three seasons, limiting opponents to a .201 batting average, though five stints on the disabled list have kept him to 29 appearances, 26 as a starter. His 2.95 ERA and .201 batting average against would lead all big league starters if he had accumulated the necessary innings during the last three seasons to qualify for league-leader rankings. In his career, he is 18-3 with a 1.45 ERA (35 ER/217.1 IP) when pitching at least seven innings (29 starts). Gaudin, 25, is 5-3 with a 3.59 ERA (25 ER/62.2 IP) in 26 appearances (six starts) with Oakland this season, including a 3.38 ERA (10 ER/26.2 IP) in his 20 relief appearances. He has not allowed an earned run in 15 of his 20 relief outings and has pitched 1.0 inning or more in 17 of those appearances. The 5-foor-10, 185 pound Gaudin joins the Cubs having turned in a 1.50 ERA (1 ER/6.0 IP) in his last seven relief outings beginning June 21. The New Orleans native has pitched all or part of the last six seasons in the big leagues with Tampa Bay (2003-04), Toronto (2005) and Oakland (2006-08), going 24-23 with two saves and a 4.33 ERA (25 203 ER/421.2 IP). He returned to the bullpen this season after making 34 starts with Oakland last season. Gaudin is 8-5 with two saves and a 3.63 ERA (59 ER/146.1 IP) in 111 relief appearances in his career. Gallagher, 22, is 3-4 with a 4.45 ERA (29 ER/58.2 IP) in 12 appearances (10 starts) with the Cubs this season. He has split the last two seasons between the Cubs and Triple-A Iowa. Gallagher was originally selected by the Cubs in the fifth round of the 2006 Draft. Murton, 26, has split the 2008 season between the Cubs and Triple-A, batting .250 (10-for-40) with two doubles and six RBI in 19 games for Chicago this season. He has spent all or part of the last four seasons in the majors, hitting .294 (256-for-870) with 28 home runs and 104 RBI in 308 big league games. He was acquired by the Cubs on July 31, 2004 from the Boston Red Sox as part of a four-team, six-player trade. Patterson, 25, has also split the season between the Cubs and Triple-A and hit .237 (9-for-38) during his three stints in the big leagues this season. He was originally selected by the Cubs in the eighth round of the 2004 Draft. Donaldson, 22, batted .217 (51-for-235) with six home runs and 23 RBI in 63 games for Single-A Peoria this season. He was selected by the Cubs in the second round of the 2007 Draft.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20080708&content_id=3091876&vkey=pr_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc
<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="581" border="0"> <tbody> <tr valign="top"> <td> <div class="hl"> Cubs acquire right-handed pitchers Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin from Oakland </div> <div class="subHeadLite"> Send pitcher Sean Gallagher, outfielder Matt Murton, infielder Eric Patterson and cathcer John Donaldson to Athletics </div> <div class="byLine">
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and that has missed about as many starts as he has made. Havent you Cub fans learned your lessons with Wood and Prior to not get your hopes on pitchers with cranky arms? He may lead you to the promised land, just sayin.
You gotta get to 36 before you get to 300.
When my wife asked why I was so excited about Harden, I told her he was sort of like a pre-injury Prior except Harden has already been hurt three times in four years. Her analysis was that the Cubs should not hire him. Saturday after Wood blew the game against the Cardinals, she was adamant he should be fired, and then on Sunday she thought it was a joke when they announced he was on the All Star Team.
When my wife asked why I was so excited about Harden, I told her he was sort of like a pre-injury Prior except Harden has already been hurt three times in four years. Her analysis was that the Cubs should not hire him. Saturday after Wood blew the game against the Cardinals, she was adamant he should be fired, and then on Sunday she thought it was a joke when they announced he was on the All Star Team.
you are talking about a guy that is 26 yrs old, leads the majors in K's per 9 innings, and has gone from an offensively-challenged team to a very good offensive team. The Cubs now have 2 aces everyday that he stays healthy, and Dumpster is a helluva 3rd man this year.
Congratulations, you just got Mark Prior Redux. Dude's arm could fall off tomorrow and no one would be shocked at all. I'd put money on him having another DL stint before the season is out. He's great when he gets to the mound, but how many times he does that will determine the value of this trade. Declaring the NL race over is VERY VERY premature.
One thing that the Cubs have been criticized for in the past was an unwillingness to get good players, and many have speculated that this was because the Cubs always draw well regardless. To me, this is the real reason for the Cubs futility, and not goats and black cats.
I think that the Cubs owners the past two years have made a big push to win a WS partially fueled by this criticism, and the fact that their two biggest rivals- the White Sox and Cardinals have won the WS in two of the past three seasons, plus the fact that their cursed cousin in the AL, the Red Sox, have won two out of the past four WS.
So, while some may view this as a "knee jerk" reaction, I still think it is a good move for the Cubs because if nothing else they sent a message to their fans that they aren't standing pat and they gave up very little, unless Donaldson turns out to be Mike Piazza II someday. In fact, I'm surprised that the A's gave up so much for so little, even if this move was a salary dump.
Will the Cubs win the WS? I think that they certainly have the team to do it. Their biggest competition will probably be the Phillies- who I like their lineup with Howard, Burrell, and Utley, but pitching is a question mark, whoever wins the WC out of the Cardinals and Brewers. If the Cubs make it to the WS, and have to face the Red Sox, I'm going to have to give the Sox the edge, especially if the AL wins the All-Star game, I like the Rays- how can you not?- but they're so young, and I really like the Angels to. That said, once the postseason starts, anything can happen.
I think that the Cubs owners the past two years have made a big push to win a WS partially fueled by this criticism, and the fact that their two biggest rivals- the White Sox and Cardinals have won the WS in two of the past three seasons, plus the fact that their cursed cousin in the AL, the Red Sox, have won two out of the past four WS.
So, while some may view this as a "knee jerk" reaction, I still think it is a good move for the Cubs because if nothing else they sent a message to their fans that they aren't standing pat and they gave up very little, unless Donaldson turns out to be Mike Piazza II someday. In fact, I'm surprised that the A's gave up so much for so little, even if this move was a salary dump.
Will the Cubs win the WS? I think that they certainly have the team to do it. Their biggest competition will probably be the Phillies- who I like their lineup with Howard, Burrell, and Utley, but pitching is a question mark, whoever wins the WC out of the Cardinals and Brewers. If the Cubs make it to the WS, and have to face the Red Sox, I'm going to have to give the Sox the edge, especially if the AL wins the All-Star game, I like the Rays- how can you not?- but they're so young, and I really like the Angels to. That said, once the postseason starts, anything can happen.
The one thing I'll say about giving up Donaldson is that it was probably necessary. With Soto in his rookie season with the Cubs, I really don't think the Cubs are going to be in need of another starting catcher for a long time. The future at catcher looks like it'll be Soto and whoever they choose to sign as back ups.
As far as the Harden comments, the way I look at it is that anything he gives the Cubs is a bonus. Even if he only starts 5 games and spends the rest of the year on the DL, that's 5 games that they didn't have to pitch Sean Marshall. Honestly, even before the trade, I felt like they were the team to beat in the National League and had as good of a shot at the WS as anyone. Therefore, I don't think they're expecting or even needing Harden to come in and carry the team. Anything they get from him is just a bonus in my eyes.
If he stays healthy and gives them another stud starter, even better, but I really don't think they are going to be relying on him to carry them. Even if he goes down, they're still the team to beat.
As far as the Harden comments, the way I look at it is that anything he gives the Cubs is a bonus. Even if he only starts 5 games and spends the rest of the year on the DL, that's 5 games that they didn't have to pitch Sean Marshall. Honestly, even before the trade, I felt like they were the team to beat in the National League and had as good of a shot at the WS as anyone. Therefore, I don't think they're expecting or even needing Harden to come in and carry the team. Anything they get from him is just a bonus in my eyes.
If he stays healthy and gives them another stud starter, even better, but I really don't think they are going to be relying on him to carry them. Even if he goes down, they're still the team to beat.
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