SATURDAY, 4:02pm: Ken Rosenthal said during a segment on FOX Saturday Baseball that a deal between the Twins and Cubs for right-hander Rich Harden could indeed happen.
Rosenthal made a couple of valid points: First, Harden is an impending free agent and the Cubs could always re-sign him in the winter. Second, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau have been pining for help and would be more inclined to sign long-term deals if Minnesota management shows a desire to win this season.
FRIDAY, 4:12pm: ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine reports that the Twins were in fact awarded the claim on Harden, and that the Giants were awarded the claim on Heilman.
9:03am: Rich Harden and Aaron Heilman were claimed on waivers yesterday, but that doesn't mean the Cubs are about to trade either pitcher away. Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times hears that the Cubs hadn't even been contacted by the claiming teams as of late last night. Even if those teams do contact the Cubs, there's no guarantee that GM Jim Hendry would decide to deal either player.
The Cubs might be more open to moving Milton Bradley, but who would have interest? Wittenmyer considers the possibilities and concludes that the Blue Jays and Royals may be fits if the Cubs are willing to take on some of the $21MM remaining on Bradley's deal. It's been a disappointing season for Bradley, but he has still managed a .387 OBP.
