Cubs Follow Sabathia Model, Acquire Harden From A’s
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It’s gonna be an interesting 2nd half of the season in the NL Central Division as the Chicago Cubs duke it out with the Milwaukee Brewers after each club acquired a now former AL elite pitcher; CC Sabathia by the Brewers and yesterday, Rich Harden by a Cubs team possessed with ending their 100-year drought (or is that cursed) without a World Series title.
With the Cubs acquisition of Harden, they feel that they now have the one-two punch in starting pitching; Harden and All-Star Carlos Zambrano, to match Milwaukee’s starting duo of Sabathia and Ben Sheets.
On paper, the comparison looks good. And in addition, the Cubs acquired starter/reliever Chad Gaudin who is 5-3 with a 3.59 ERA in 26 games in both starter and reliever roles.
AP Sports Writer Rick Gano outlines and gives background on the 6 player deal for Yahoo sports;
Chicago… sent promising right-hander Sean Gallagher, outfielders Matt Murton and Eric Patterson and minor leaguer Josh Donaldson to the A’s.
Harden, eligible to be a free agent after the 2009 season, is 5-1 with a 2.34 ERA in 13 starts this season. He’s scheduled to make $4.75 million this season.
“We will have the rights for a year and a half, so that’s the other advantage of him not being a free agent,” Hendry said. “He has an option that could vest, or we could pick up the option or we could arbitrate. So he certainly has a chance to be a Cub through the end of next year.”
The oft-injured Harden missed a month earlier this season because of a right shoulder strain. It was his sixth trip to the disabled list in his six-year career.
“Obviously there’s some risk involved. He’s missed some time but he’s never had any surgery,” Hendry said. “We did extensive work with their doctors.”
The Cubs said they expected Harden to join the team Wednesday and pitch either Friday or Saturday at Wrigley Field against the San Francisco Giants.
“This gives us another weapon,” Piniella said. “He’ll fit in here really nice. Let’s keep him healthy and pitching and go from there.”
The Cubs won the NL Central last season but were swept out of the playoffs by Arizona. Without a World Series appearance since 1945 and without a title since 1908, they are obviously making a strong push. The team is also expected to be sold by the end of the season.
For the Cubs, the health of the oft-injured Harden is of prime concern, but his price tag, at $4.75 million this season, is substantially less than Sabathia’s $9 million for 2008.
As with Sabathia, it will be interesting to see how Harden adjusts to the differences between the leagues, including the smaller strike zone. By the way, Sabathia, who overcame wildness walking 5, went six innings to win in his Brewers debut as Milwaukee beat the Colorado Rockies by a 7-3 score.
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