I'll agree with those who say it might end up helping the Cubs in the long run...Harden probably wouldn't have been able to be as effective down the stretch if he pitched a full season, so at the very least this keeps his arm fresh for a little while longer. Wells is still pitching pretty well for them in his absence, and once Harden gets back they'll have a hard time keeping Wells out of the rotation...he may end up bumping Sean Marshall to the pen. As for the bats, they haven't been able to develop hitting prospects for awhile now, and it'll continue until Vitters gets up to the higher levels. The good news from their perspective is that they'll be able to go out and buy veterans whenever their current players need to be replaced. That's in limbo right now as the ownership situation is up in the air, but once the sale is completed (anytime between July and Christmas, from what I've heard), they'll be able to go back to their big-spending ways. I think everyone realizes that Derrek Lee's on his way out already, it's just matter of Hendry and Piniella realizing this and giving more time to Hoffpauier and maybe bringing up Jake Fox until they can get someone else to fill that void.