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ONE-TIME A'S ace Rich Harden is headed to the Chicago Cubs, and to some intriguing matchups. Such as:
En route to the postseason, Harden might find himself pitching against one-time A's ace Mark Mulder, now of the St. Louis Cardinals, the Cubs' fierce rivals.
Or maybe Harden will be pitching against one-time A's ace Tim Hudson, now of the Atlanta Braves.
Come the National League playoffs, Harden might oppose one-time A's ace Dan Haren, now of the Arizona Diamondbacks. (We'll hold off on any potential postseason matchup with one-time A's ace Barry Zito, unless the Giants pull off a second-half miracle.)
Yes, pity the A's fan who's seen so many aces disappear up so
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Harden was house money. His right arm, so worrisome over the years, had transformed back into a wanted commodity, thanks to a 5-1 first-half record. Despite back-to-back sub-par outings, he was the A's best trade bait.
The Cubs wanted him, and they can have him. They need him more than the A's do. And they'll need to get skipper Lou Piniella a reliable pitch-count clicker to track Harden.
That the Cubs also get right-hander Chad Gaudin, a former starter, strengthens their side of this trade. For
That the A's, in return, are getting a young pitcher, plus three other players, isn't a shock. That the A's are getting a ready-now starter is a pleasant surprise. That it's Sean Gallagher is positive news if he indeed comes at Billy Beane's behest.
No matter how intoxicated you might be by the A's flirtation with the postseason race, this is still a rebuilding year. This is still a team with just one All-Star representative, yet again.
It's also a team with a still impressive rotation of All-Star Justin Duchscherer, newcomers Greg Smith and Dana Eveland, Opening Day starter Joe "Will win with better run support" Blanton and now Gallagher.
Letting go of Harden surely isn't shocking, even if he said it's a "bit of a shock." It's really not when you look at all the other A's who've been exported over the years. It's the A's. It's another trade on Beane's riveting resume.
Cubs fans had just better not pin too much of their October fantasies on Harden. That's a couple months and plenty of starts away, and Harden's durability is an issue. He's like a freshly planted tree you should support with wooden stakes in case of a wind storm.
Now he's headed to the Windy City, and if he can't stay healthy, at least he'll be in the right confines. Cubs fans will understand, courtesy of the travails of Mark Prior, Kerry Wood & Co.
The A's couldn't hedge any 2008 postseason hopes on Harden's health. This team is riddled with injuries for the second straight year. Remember, the team's doubts about its overall health — as well as its depleted farm system — keyed the offseason purge that saw Haren, Nick Swisher, Mark Kotsay and others leave.
And so the routine continues. Players leave, and replacements are introduced to the A's faithful (Monday's attendance: 11,129).
Among the replacements they got for Swisher was pitcher Gio Gonzalez, who threw a one-hitter and struck out 13 for Triple-A Sacramento on July 4 at Fresno.
Will Gonzalez be on the trading block again in a few years, ready to graduate from the A's to an NL pennant contender? Or will the Fremont A's be playing in a new stadium by then with a fully stocked roster that's matured nicely over the years?
Harden wasn't going to be part of those long-term plans, whether that's because of his disabled-list dalliances or his impending big-money payday or Beane's insatiable appetite to make trades.
Yes, some trades are harder to digest than others. This one isn't. Eat it up, A's fans, along with those all-you-can-eat hot dogs in the upper deck.
Contact Cam Inman at cinman@bayareanewsgroup.com.
