Life In The Cell

A’s Trade Harden to the Cubs

Saw this on ESPN

Update here’s something official AP Report

I know this doesn’t concern the White Sox in even an indirect manner, but I just want to relay some thoughts about this trade.

I’m not being a bitter Sox’ fan, but I smell trouble. My feeling is that Harden’s dead arm is a little worse than dead. In his last start against the Sox on Sunday, he didn’t break 95 on the gun and he had a lot of trouble with his control. Combine that with his start prior to that, and you could have an injured pitcher on your hands.

The other thing that baffles me about this is the relatively small take the A’s got from the Cubs. The A’s get Sean Gallagher, Matt Murton, Eric Patterson, and John Donaldson. I really like Gallagher’s curve, but he seems to be the only valuable piece in the trade. Eric Patterson has already been made the Sox’ bitch so I’m a bit biased against him, but unless Harden is injured, I would have to think that he would have gotten more than this, let alone the fact that Gaudin is involved. Gaudin is a solid reliever and can do a league average job starting, which isn’t something to turn your nose at.