CHICAGO Keeping Mum psp – 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.
Well, lots of people suggested that Sabathia made the Brewers a likely division champion, and I thought it gave them a leg up on the Cardinals for the wildcard. To get Harden that soon after, the Cubs have responded and solidified the rotation. Notice that if Sean Marshall can handle the 5 spot, that leaves Jason Marquis as the #6 man. No way he can have a lousy second half and stay active. We have Z, Lilly, Dempster, Harden and Marshall now and look good to go.
And I was glad to get rid of both Murton and Corey Patterson Jr., two guys with no place to play here.
Wicked good move. We trade some good guys who are really not necessary for what we are doing. We also get a back up bullpen guy who has started before and can step up if Marmol continues to struggle. Also long term he is signed through next year for reasonable money. Any other potential deals out there? Do we need another one?
I do NOT like giving up Donaldson. But getting Murton and Patterson out of here for something beyond useful… that is terrific. All in all, I approve – but don’t be surprised if we look at Donaldson in 2-3 years and go “ooh….”
I like the move. It gives us a top of the line starter and a solid relief pitcher who is also a capable starter if need be. I’m a fan of Murton’s and I hate to see him go, but he had nowhere to play and was useless for the team. All in all I think Hendry made a good deal.
Its a shame to see Murton go, but like Darin said he had no place on the team. I was really hoping the Rays would get him. Anyone know what Harden’s contract situation is?
We have a catcher named Soto who will probably be our catcher for years to come.
4 years/$9M (2005-08), plus $7M 2009 club option – Harden
1 year/$1.775M (2008) in arbitration years – Gaudin
It’s a win for both teams, since Oakland’s going to get a lot of use from Gallager, Murton and EP right off the bat.
And, for the Cubs, Hey, it’s Rich Harden. The staff just got that much better with the stroke of the pen. Getting better in the pitching category isn’t something many teams are going to complain about, ya know?
It’ll be fun to see how Harden reacts his first start in Wrigley. The pressure’s gotta be huge, but his playoff experience ought to take care of that. Key word = “ought”.
Go Cubs!!
That being said, I’ll like this deal a whole lot better when they sign Harden to a deal. I would hate to just throw away talent for him to cut and run after the season.
While losing Donaldson hurts, we’ve got a rookie catcher who’s doing pretty well, I’d say. That means he’s under control for 5 more years. Donaldson was going to be hard pressed to surpass him, and there’s some depth behind the plate in the system. Gallagher will be the biggest loss, but he’s likely a No. 3 for the next couple of years at best. Maybe down the road he’s better. We don’t give up Pie, Colvin, Veal or Jeff S., the four best prospects in the system, and get a bona fide ace and a good bullpen guy who could be a decent starter. This is a great, great deal for the Cubs.
We already have Harden next year.
Harden is decent but fragile. Still not enough to counter Sheets, CC, Parra and Suppan down the stretch. I also heard that Yovani Gallardo is ahead of schedule and could be back in September.
When did Bernie Brewer start writing replies?
First off-
‘Harden is decent” take a look at those numbers brewer fan. thats better than decent. If he stays healthy and by all accounts he is and will, he is better than either sheets or sabathia. You should never bring up Jeff Suppan when comparing pitchers, and there is no way gallardo pitches this year. That info comes from the Brewers themselves.
Second- The Cubs gave up no real parts to their future for these 2 pitchers. The Brewers only got 1 proven major leaguer. Gallagher may turn out to be a “decent” middle of the rotation guy.
Third- All you Brewer fans stop drinking so much Schlitz.
Not sure but didn’t a brewer pitcher go on the dl today???
I want to say it simple it was a great trade a little less presure on the staff will improve the whole rotaion
Except Schlitz is a very Chicago beer too.
Anything from the Miller Valley is swill.
We should all drink old style, and your right about the swill.
Love. It.
Seems like a decent trade to me. I was beginning to like Gallagher, but I’m guessing I can like Harden even more.
Hate to see Murton go but he always a “moneyball” type player– works the count, went to college, plays the game the right way, etc… but anyways, Harden’s a stud– Nice Trade Cubs!!!
Great deal for the Cubbies! They didn’t have to give up much for two important pieces. Go Cubs!
http://hubpages.com/hub/Chicago-Cubs-get-Rich-Harden-from-the-As
I’m glad we made this deal, but it makes me very nervous. He definitely pitches more than Mark Prior, but he spends an awful lot of time on the DL. There’s a reason Oakland was willing to give him up for what they got in return. Those are some real smart baseball guys over there. They didn’t have to trade him or lose him to free agency at the end of the summer; they had an option for one more year. Which means they wanted to cut him loose this year. That is scary.
Again, I’m glad we got him and I’m hoping he can stay in the rotation, but I can’t help but be scared. The good thing is, while we did give up some good players, we didn’t give up anything that was essential for this year. And I think Gaudin is going to be a real nice addition to the pen.
In the end, Jim Hendry has been fantastic for us, and has rarely made a deal that wasn’t good for us in the long run. I trust Jim!
I agree with PKP that it’s questionable why the A’s, only 3 1/2 back in the wild card, would part with a top-flight starter making around 5M, with a club option for “only” 7M for 2009. On the Cubs side, Patterson could be the wildcard here. Gallagher looks like a 4-5 starter at best, no “out” pitch, Murton is a corner outfielder with no power, average speed, a poor arm and shaky defensive skills. Not sure about all the hullabaloo over Donaldson, who is hitting .220 and I had never heard of before 6 p.m. today. The next question is who goes? Marquis? Marshall? Cedeno? With two pitchers coming, and only subtracting one position player, the Cubs have some roster questions, not to mention when Soriano and Eyre come off the DL. It will be interesting.
Sounds like they’ll get rid of Marshall, but I’d get rid of Marquis.
This just in Rich harden on DL for remainder of season after violent sneeze haha. How can you Match a cy young award winner by trading for Mark Prior junior?! 101 years and counting guys. Sorry Brewers central divison champs. What would hurt the cubs more? Harden on the DL or Not trading for Harden and staying with the team you had? I’d say the trade was a huge mistake and there are better durable pitchers out there. After wood and Prior the cubs were the last team I thought would trade for Harden.
The Cubs added Gaudin giving them another option in the bullpen or as a starter if Harden does go down. This seems like a smart deal for the Cubs, the players they gave away really would not have made much if any impact this season anyways. I like it better than the Brewers renting Sabathia for half the season.
I’m not sure why not trading for Harden would be better than him on the DL. In fact, I don’t see any difference. The Cubs really only gave up 1 player who deserves to be on the major league roster. Murton and Patterson will be back down in triple A as soon as the Cubs get healthy. It seems like a trade with very little risk and a huge upside. If he gets hurt, the Cubs are no worse off than before.
And it doesn’t really matter if there are more durable pitchers out there. This wasn’t about just getting another fairly good arm. It was about getting a top of the rotation guy who can help in a short playoff series where only 3, maybe 4 guys will pitch.
I’m on the side that thinks this is a great deal. Here is why:
1. The obvious is that Harden can be a 1 or a 2 starter for us. This gives us the option in the playoffs of using the three best starters at that time. If it be Zambrano, Dempster, Harden. Throw Lilly in there if one of those three are struggling. Thats a pretty good rotation.
2. We needed a top pitcher. We didn’t need an average left fielder, back up second baseman, low minors catcher. I do think Gallager will be above average but you do have to give to get. We gave up some potiential talent to get some current talent. The Cubs have a 2 year window to get things done. We don’t have time to wait for the missing piece to graduate college and show up at Wrigley.
3. Chad Gaudin is a good pitcher. We still have a couple of guys that can fill in the back of the rotation in the event of a stumble or injury.
Since I’m a pretty reasonable guy I do see the potential other side. If Harden gets hurt, if Donaldson or Gallagher turn out to be all-stars, There is risk, however, I didn’t think we were good enough without another top pitcher. Now we have him. We are all thinking about the Brewers, Cardinals etc… we do have to think about making our team good enough to compete with the Red Sox and the Angels. Both of whom have really good rotations.
I would like to see Marshall take the #5 spot. I would also like to see Wuertz off the team to make room for the new players in the trade. I do realize that we need to have an insurance policy who is stretched out in case of injury. My guess is they will send Marshall down for that reason.