So the A’s have pulled the trigger on a deal for Rich Harden, no surprise there, they have been cosseting him since his return from the DL to ensure that he appeared to be a prime piece of trade bait. And this is exactly what he was, but did the A’s get a prime return? Forget Hudson, Haren, Zito or Mulder, Harden’s ‘stuff’ was the best I’ve seen from an A’s pitcher in recent times; if he’s on the mound, he’s dealing and the Cub’s will benefit if he can stay healthy. The Cub’s obviously felt they need to make a move after the Brewers got Sabathia, and I believe they got the better pitcher in Harden, so why did the A’s feel the need to part with Gaudin as well? Harden for Gallagher straight up would just about work for me, throw in one or more of the prospects and I think that looks like an equitable deal. Including Gaudin breaks the deal for me, there would have been other suitors for Harden, and Gaudin if he was on the block, before the trading deadline three weeks hence and Beane is usually happy to display his brinkmanship skills. The Cub’s have strengthened their rotation and their bullpen at the cost of a spot starter and a bag of balls, with all due respect to the other parties involved. Clearly the management approach will need to be very different in handling Harden vs. Sabathia; Sabathia is a horse and the Brewers have said they will not be looking to sign him long term so they can pitch him ‘til his arm drops off, which is most unlikely before the end of October whereas Harden will still need careful monitoring to see him through to the end of the post-season and somehow they have managed to leverage this argument with Beane to the point where he gave up Gaudin.
