Cubs going after Harden

[dvoiss]

I heard this on ESPN radio this morning and now the Sporting News has picked up on it as welll. Apparently our neighbors down to the south are beginning to feel Brewer breath on the back of their necks. The guys on ESPN were of the opinion that the A's still feel they can contend and probably won't move Harden. I guess we'll see.

 

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=431956

[Diggr14]

funny thing is, we matchup better prospect wise with Oakland too.

 

We could bring in Harden as well....

[Portage Plumber]

Why not play a little and drive the price up for the Cubs.

[NastyTwig]

Do the Cubs really have the prospects to get Harden from Beane? Hill, Gallagher, Pie, Samarjakldnmaelkja, Patterson? None are LaPorta quality and I doubt Beane would bite.

[craigharmann]

Theriot, Dumpster and Hill for Harden. I would love that!

[fondybrewfan]

Theriot, Dumpster and Hill for Harden. I would love that!

That still wouldn't be enough, Hill has no value at all until he can actually a MLB player out again, Dempster is a FA after this year and Theriot is Theriot, he is solid but certainly can't be considered to be a key negotiating piece.

[craigharmann]

That still wouldn't be enough,

 

OK, how about Lee, Soriano and Zambrano for Harden. Cripples the Cubs, and makes me smile. Not like it's actually going to happen, though.

 

[jhart05]

Why not play a little and drive the price up for the Cubs.

 

 

I was about to say that.

 

The Crew probably still has more to offer teams than the Cubs.

[splitterpfj]

This shouldn't surprise anyone, the Cubs have been shopping for a pitcher for as long as the Brewers had been. I would think Sabathia to Milwaukee will force them to aim higher, which makes it Harden instead of Wolf.

 

I fully expect the Cubs to add a starter, just as I expect the Brewers to add a reliever, and that still leaves St Louis to do their thing - this should be a great race.

[SeriesFinale]

I mentioned this in the Transactions thread, but the radio stations here in the Bay Area are reporting this as well but they keep sourcing it back to the Sun-Times article this morning (as are ESPN radio, etc) which basically says "look for things to heat up on that front." Well, of course, I'm sure a lot of teams are inquiring.

 

I just don't know what the Cubs could possibly offer Beane for Harden this year that wouldn't set the major league team back a little.

[brewcrewkid14]

Theriot is the last type of player that Beane wants too.

[SeriesFinale]

Has anyone here ever called Doug's office?

 

http://www.northsidebaseball.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=49648

Unbelievable. The NSBB guys' reactions are great.

[craigharmann]

That is freaking hilarious! "Hey Dougie, we could use another lefthanded bat in our lineup. Why don't you try to trade for player x. OK? Thanks. We'll talk again soon". Yeah right. No baseball GM is just going to take phone calls from regular fans, is he?

[jjfanec]

If the A's want bats I just dont know what the cubs have to offer. Pie, Cedeno, Fontenot, Murton, none of those guys seem like guys to center a deal around. The Cubs could do young pitching like Gallagher, Marshall, or Hill, but I think another team would be able to give them more of what they want. I agree that the Brewers match up much better.

[splitterpfj]

jjf, I'm with you on this. The Cubs should be pursuing Harden, it just makes sense, but if they couldn't afford Sabathia, what makes them think Beane would give them Harden for the same sort of offer?

 

My guess is that Harden will end the season with Oakland, beyond that, I think he's one DL stint away from being converted to a closer, ala Kerry Wood. I don't know if the Brewers could pull him out of there, and it's probably safer to just target Huston Street in the first place, but I'd like to have Harden in a relief role.

[Oldcity]

Josh Vitters is probably their highest rated hitter, but he's a long ways away. I don't see how the Cubs can make much of an offer, to be honest.

[yount19.u]

SeriesFinale wrote:

---

Has anyone here ever called Doug's office?

 

http://www.northsidebaseball.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=49648

 

Unbelievable. The NSBB guys' reactions are great.

This guy is incredible. The board pokes fun at his post and he brings up his struggles with cancer to get sympathy!?

If only we had that type of drama at BF.Net

[jjfanec]

Josh Vitters is probably their highest rated hitter, but he's a long ways away. I don't see how the Cubs can make much of an offer, to be honest.

Yeah, Vitters is their top bat, but he has not done a ton to date. I would say Harden would cost a lot because he has a club option for next year. It would be interesting to see what the talks would center around. Other teams can put a much better offer in my mind. If the Dodgers were interested in CC I wonder if they would have interest in harden. They have some bats Oakland might like. Beane might like a guy like LaRoche too because he has carried a great OBP.

[Trowekamp]

If the Brewers trade for Harden, I would think it would be to lock up a Joe Nathan type of closer for a couple of years.. He is the only pitcher out there that scares me if the cubs get him as he might have the best stuff in the AL right now IF he stays healthy.

 

I can't see the Cubs having enought to get him as Beane would drive a hard bargain. I would probably cost the Brewers Gamel, Brantley, and Braddock to get him.

[RockCoCougars]

I'm big on Harden. I wonder if the A's would consider trading him, because they do have a surplus of starting pitchers. Durscherer, Smith and Eveland have all pitched well, and Chad Gaudin who has pitched pretty well is basically being wasted in their bullpen. I wonder if they would bite on a package of Hall and decent prospect(s)? They could have Bush or maybe Villy if they wanted them too. They could use Hall at 3rd, short or the outfield. Hmm..

[ILuvDaBush]

Hall would also do well in replacing Mark Ellis next year at second.

[cubfan1126]

From my perspective that post at NSBB was just plain stupid.

As far as Harden, depends on what Oakland wants. If they want immediate help, then no we don't have it. Our trading strength is at the lower minors not AAA.

[paulmolitor4]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I doubt Billy Beane would want anything to do with Billy Hall. He seems to be the anti-Oakland Athletic type player.

[splitterpfj]

In his blog today, Buster Olney says what a lot of us are thinking - if the Cubs had the kind of prospects it will take to get Rich Harden, they'd have used them to get Sabathia in the first place.

 

He lists off the usual suspects - Randy Wolf, Greg Maddux, AJ Burnett, etc, but says that none of these pitchers would provide the impact the Cubs are hoping to add, so it's just as likely that they'll end up making no deals before the deadline.

[berniebrewer4life]

the Cubs had the kind of prospects it will take to get Rich Harden, they'd have used them to get Sabathia in the first place.

 

Bingo. Cubs have no realistic shot at Harden. They have some prospects at Single A, but other than that, it's mostly avg guys. I hope they do trade for Maddux so that way he can bring his 5.71 away ERA to wrigley and get lit up. The only guy who can help em is Burnett, who is basically a #3 guy, which is what the cubs already have.