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Rich Harden

Gammons’ Latest: Sabathia, Dunn, Harden

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ESPN’s Peter Gammons has a new blog post up.

  • The Indians are "thoroughly scouting" eight teams that may be interested in C.C. Sabathia, including the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, and Dodgers (the Mets may be another).  Gammons agrees with Ken Rosenthal that Mark Shapiro may trade Sabathia soon to maximize his value.  Gammons does not see the Yanks jumping in with Phil Hughes or a multi-prospect offer, unless Chien-Ming Wang’s injury forces their hand.  He does not think the Cubs or Phillies have the goods, but suggests the Rangers as a dark horse.
  • If the Cubs don’t have enough for Sabathia, Plan B could be Randy Wolf, Greg Maddux, or even Erik Bedard. The Padres and Mariners have been informed of the Cubs’ interest.
  • Gammons seems to indicate that Mark Teixeira could be available if the Braves fall out of the race (although Tex is not mentioned by name).
  • The Dodgers may have been open to trading Brad Penny, but his shoulder injury puts the kibosh on that.
  • Adam Dunn’s whifftastic ways scare the Red Sox, who might pass even if David Ortiz needs surgery.  Gammons suggests Josh Willingham would be a better fit.
  • Rich Harden could be a huge acquisition, one of the game’s most dominating pitchers.  It’s the same story though – will any team be willing to meet Billy Beane’s asking price given Harden’s injury history?

Gammons On Available Pitchers

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ESPN’s Peter Gammons names ten starting pitchers who could be available in the coming months.  We’ll try to devise a comprehensive list when we get to the position in our Trade Market series.

Gammons’ trade possibilities: Paul Byrd, Jeremy Sowers, Derek Lowe, Rich Harden, Odalis Perez, Brett Tomko, Jarrod Washburn, Zach Duke, Vicente Padilla, and Kevin Millwood.  Byrd, Lowe, Perez, and Tomko will be free agents after the season.  Sowers and Duke are the kids.  Harden is the oft-injured ace.  Washburn, Padilla, and Millwood bring burdensome contracts.

Gammons also five "unlikely, but not impossible" scenarios.  He suggests A.J. Burnett, Bartolo Colon, Joe Blanton, Greg Maddux, and Ben Sheets could be moved under the right circumstances.

Stark’s Latest: Young Players, Giles, DeJesus

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Jayson Stark’s latest Rumblings and Grumblings column is chock full of information.

  • Stark rattles off Dan Uggla, Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels, B.J. Upton, Justin Upton, Russell Martin, Zack Greinke, Prince Fielder, Felix Hernandez, Jeff Francoeur, Jonathan Papelbon, Kevin Youkilis, and Dustin Pedroia as youngsters who do not have long-term deals in the works.  With Uggla and Greinke, the opposition seems more on the team’s side.  With Hamels and Howard neither side wants a long-term deal.  With the rest, the player is resisting.
  • The Padres’ top trading chip is probably Brian Giles, though a deal would further deplete a weak offense.
  • The A’s are willing to deal, with pitching considered the surplus.  Billy Beane might be able to snag one good prospect for Rich Harden.
  • There’s some doubt as to whether the Rockies will make Matt Holliday this year’s Mark Teixeira as we approach the deadline.
  • Teams other than the Royals are speculating that center fielder David DeJesus might be available.
  • The Marlins and Hanley Ramirez battled over a no-trade clause…and the Fish won.  He has none.

Rich Harden Back From DL; Back On Market?

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Rich Harden has been activated from the DL and will make his third start of the season today. John Shea says that the A’s are hoping Harden will stay healthy, as the A’s are better team with him. Billy Beane may be hoping for Harden to stay healthy for an entriely different reason. Before His latest trip to the DL, it was believed that the A’s were marketing the right-hander that has not made more than nine starts since 2005.

After making two strong starts at the beginning of the season, Bruce Jenkins suggested that Harden needed about six strong and healthy starts before other teams would become interested. After the latest setback, that number is probably higher now. Troy E. Renck noted that it would probably take a healthy month before the Rockies would be interested.

Harden is to make $4.5MM this year and the team has a $7MM option for 2009. Harden is scheduled to become a free agent following the 2009 season.

It will be interesting to see if teams show enough interest in a talented pitcher that has made six trips to the DL in six seasons, or if the A’s will be willing to lower their asking price.

Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here .

Rockies Looking For Starting Pitching

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7:22pm: Walt Jocketty did not deny the Fogg-Rockies rumor when asked.  Maybe he’ll be a little more loose with the rumors than Krivsky was.

9:18am: Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post has details on the Rockies’ pursuit of starting pitching.  Their search includes some familiar names.

  • Josh Fogg seems like the most likely acquisition; he’s a DFA candidate for the Reds.  Fogg received an early one-year offer from the Rockies this winter that was later pulled back.
  • Julian Tavarez, another former Rockie, is on the radar again.  The Red Sox don’t seem to have much use for him.
  • Kevin Millwood figures to be a popular name in the coming months.  Renck says the Rangers want "the right players in return, not salary relief."  Millwood makes $8.5MM in ’08, $11MM in ’09, and $12MM in ’10 (if he reaches certain innings incentives).  He also has a limited no-trade clause.
  • Rich Harden may come off the DL soon, but he’d have to remain healthy for probably a month before teams become seriously interested.
  • Renck says Joe Blanton is "currently not available."  The A’s are the current Wild Card leader, after all.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In

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Bunch of random topics so let’s just get to it and see what it being said in the Blogosphere…

  • Big League Stew talks to Bless You Boys about the idea of Barry Bonds signing with the Tigers. BYB argues against signing Bonds noting that the Tigers already have a bunch of slow players (base cloggers?) and what they really need is some more speed in the lineup…Although we keep hearing about collusion and have not heard any numbers bandied about, Bonds has always made it very clear how much he values the almighty dollar. Does anybody else think that Bonds would already be in uniform if he had come out said he would play 2008 for $3-5MM plus incentives? The baggage is what it is, but teams might find it easier to deal with it at a price Bonds is not likely to accept.
  • Rockin’ The Red takes a look at the five Cardinals that are most likely to be traded during the season…Chris Duncan is an interesting name on the list. With all the outfielders that the Cards have, Duncan is a solid bat that is likely to be a Super-2 at the end of the year.
  • The Yankees: Minors to Majors looks at the pending free agents for the Yankees and concludes that there is plenty of compensation picks to be had giving the Yankees plenty of flexibility to sign a high-end free agent like C.C. Sabathia…Of course, that is assuming the Yankees would let something like draft pick compensation stand in the way of signing a free agent. Not likely.
  • Wrigleyville23 has had enough of the Brian Roberts-to-the-Cubs media reports…Who?
  • The Bronx Zoo would love to see Nick Johnson back in a Yankees’ uniform but notes that Dmitri Young may not be a dependable replacement for the Nats.
  • Mets Fever notes that eight players have moved among the Brewers, Mets and Nats since this offseason…Let’s just say that the Brewers did not get the best of that "three-way trade".
  • One writer at DRays Bay is hoping the Rays and M’s can re-engage talks for Edwin Jackson…The M’s may be interested once again after being two-hit by Jackson yesterday, but maybe the price just went up.
  • One name that kept popping up recently as a possible trade piece in the near future was Rich Harden. Well, Harden has once again found himself on the DL and Athletics Nation is not taking it well.

Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Pedro’s Injury

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Earlier this week Pedro Martinez pulled a hamstring in his first start of ’08 and is expected to be out until mid-May. The loss of Martinez will likely only cost the Mets seven to eight starts, which might only be a difference in two to three wins over that span. Of course, two or three more wins in ’07 and the Mets would have spent October in the playoffs. With the importance of every single start magnified this year for the Mets, it would not be surprising for Omar Minaya to seek outside help as a contingency plan for Martinez (who at this point in his career cannot be counted on to stay healthy for any length of time). One long shot is Rich Harden, whom the A’s may be auditioning for possible suitors. Let’s take a look at what is being said in the Blogophere…

  • The ’Ropolitans don’t see the Mets trading any more players in the near future, especially for an injury-riddled player such as Harden.
  • Mets Fever doesn’t think the Mets have the pieces to land Harden and would rather see the money go to Oliver Perez after the season.
  • Mets Merized thinks that Claudio Vargas would provide the Mets with some stability but if he isn’t willing to accept a minor league deal they feel the Mets have plenty of in-house options…Mets Merized also feels that the loss of Martinez will not have an effect on the Mets’ championship hopes.
  • MetsBlog comments on the Vargas rumors and says that a backup plan for Martinez should be Minaya’s number one priority…MetsBlog also notes that the Mets should stay away from Harden as he will certainly cost Fernando Martinez.
  • Faith and Fear in Flushing is reminded of Mets injuries from years past and won’t be expecting any contribution from Martinez in the near future.

Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.

The Harden Situation

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Rich Harden is popular this morning – both Bruce Jenkins and Buster Olney discussed his trade value in the wake of his second excellent start of ’08.  Jenkins suggests it’ll take at least six starts for suitors to begin believing in Harden.  Olney believes he could be the top difference-maker to acquire via trade this summer.  It’s pointless to speculate on teams yet – any contender would benefit greatly from adding a healthy Harden (though I will mention that he was recently linked to the Yankees).

Harden is still just 26.  He earns $4.5MM this year and then has a $7MM club option for ’09 with no buyout attached.  Cot’s Baseball Contract’s also notes escalators based on innings pitched.  Harden’s ’09 option is a given as long as he makes a dozen starts this year without needing surgery.

Harden had unkind words in February about Oakland’s handling of him in ’07.  His shoulder issues apparently lingered until December.

Yankees Interested In Harden?

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According to a source of Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, "the Yankees have apparently expressed interest in Rich Harden."  Slusser believes the A’s would demand full price for Harden, perhaps asking for Ian Kennedy and young pitchers.

If you look at this from each party’s point of view, it doesn’t seem like a trade could be reached anytime soon.  Harden would be a tantalizing #1 starter for the Yankees, but why pay full price for a guy who’s pitched 200 innings over the last three years?  Replacing Kennedy with Harden could deplete the team’s starting pitching depth.

On the other hand, if you’re Billy Beane, why trade Harden at a discount right now? He is nowhere near his peak value.  The one reason to do it might be if Beane does not believe Harden will return to good health this year or next.  Joe Pawlikowski weighs in on this rumor over at River Ave. Blues.

Beane Has High Asking Price For Haren

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Did you expect anything different?  Billy Beane is happy to field offers on Dan Haren and Joe Blanton, but he’ll require a king’s ransom for either pitcher.  Jayson Stark says Beane asked the Yankees for two of Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and Ian Kennedy for Haren.  With the Red Sox it was two of Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester, and Jacoby Ellsbury.  The Mets would have to pony up Carlos Gomez and Fernando Martinez.  With two starters under contract through 2010, Beane and the A’s are sitting pretty.

One source of Stark echoes the popular sentiment that Miguel Cabrera in an Angels uniform would prompt a full-on A’s firesale.  That would include Huston Street, Dan Johnson, Mark Kotsay, and Rich Harden.  You have to admit, that would be fun.  Maybe the Brewers won’t give up Rickie Weeks for Chad Cordero, but how about Street?

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