Re: Harden close to signing with Rangers

[Little Slide Rooter]

Rich Harden On Verge Of Agreement?

By Tim Dierkes [December 9 at 3:46pm CST]

ESPN's Buster Olney has heard that Rich Harden is on the verge of an agreement with an unknown team. Olney notes that Harden has been heavily involved in negotiations with the Mariners, so that's one possibility.

 

Gotta love the "mystery team". Theyve been quite active the past few days.

Edited December 9, 2009 by Little Slide Rooter

[inari]

God I'm angry.

[RedFlash]

Rich Harden On Verge Of Agreement?

By Tim Dierkes [December 9 at 3:46pm CST]

ESPN's Buster Olney has heard that Rich Harden is on the verge of an agreement with an unknown team. Olney notes that Harden has been heavily involved in negotiations with the Mariners, so that's one possibility.

 

Gotta love the "mystery team". Theyve been quite active the past few days.

 

I wonder how Scooby and Shaggy are going to take it when the hear about this development.

[Springfield_CUBBY]

Well, this mystery team is going to sign Bradley, and now Harden? Hmmmmmmmm . . .

[17 Seconds]

i [expletive] hate this team so [expletive] much [expletive] [expletive] [expletive]

[17 Seconds]

im sick of tis "mystery team" garbage. i think it's just lazy and overaggressive reporting

[Omar]

i [expletive] hate this team so [expletive] much [expletive] [expletive] [expletive]

 

[expletive].

[rocket]

the cubs are technically a mystery team

[Little Slide Rooter]

The mystery team is....drumroll...

 

Rich Harden Close To Signing With Rangers

By Tim Dierkes [December 9 at 4:24pm CST]

4:24pm: Harden is close to signing with the Rangers, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. NBC Sports' Craig Calcaterra had it first on Twitter, and says it's for $7.5MM with an $11.5MM option for 2011.

 

Im guessing this takes them out of the Ben Sheets sweepstakes. They couldnt possibly want to potential aces whose arm could fall off at any moment, could they? It makes sense, as they just shipped Milwood to Baltimore.

[A-Cal]

the rangers

 

interesting move...i am a rangers fan, so i hope this works out

 

not much of a harden fan though

 

rangers new additions

 

Rich Harden

 

Chris Ray

 

hopefully it makes a difference

[Little Slide Rooter]

7.5 Mil. Wow, so for 7.5mil, we could have had 1 year of a potential ace or 2 years of a run of the mill left handed middle reliever. Love ya Hendry.

[A-Cal]

The mystery team is....drumroll...

 

Rich Harden Close To Signing With Rangers

By Tim Dierkes [December 9 at 4:24pm CST]

4:24pm: Harden is close to signing with the Rangers, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. NBC Sports' Craig Calcaterra had it first on Twitter, and says it's for $7.5MM with an $11.5MM option for 2011.

 

Im guessing this takes them out of the Ben Sheets sweepstakes. They couldnt possibly want to potential aces whose arm could fall off at any moment, could they? It makes sense, as they just shipped Milwood to Baltimore.

 

i would love it if they still went after sheets

 

unless of course, the cubs want him first :grin:

[PrimeTime]

According to Craig Calcaterra of NBCSports.com, the Rangers have agreed to a one-year, $7.5 million contract with right-hander Rich Harden.

 

The deal also comes with an $11.5 million option for 2011. It's a bold move by the Rangers, who have had their fair share of money problems this year, but it makes more than enough sense. The Rangers have filled a hole left by Kevin Millwood's rumored departure to Baltimore and snagged one of the filthiest pitchers in the game. The 28-year-old Harden posted a 4.06 ERA, a 1.32 WHIP and an incredible 10.9 K/9 in 26 starts this past season.

[SouthSideRyan]

I knew we weren't gonna re-sign him, but this still brings the pain.

[Little Slide Rooter]

and we couldnt have at least offered the guy arbitration.

[Little Slide Rooter]

...or the Mariners.

 

4:34pm: But wait! ESPN Radio's Shannon Drayer says the Mariners are close on Harden.

[17 Seconds]

man, if we suck next year then i hope we tank hard. i want [expletive] to get ugly

 

but then all they'll do is hire another crap GM and promote sandberg.

 

2007-2008 was the window

[17 Seconds]

...or the Mariners.

 

4:34pm: But wait! ESPN Radio's Shannon Drayer says the Mariners are close on Harden.

 

i hate the internet

[cubsfan26]

and we couldnt have at least offered the guy arbitration.

 

He probably doesn't sign a 7.5m deal then. Since he probably would have gotten a few more million by accepting arbitration. I wish luck to Harden, and he does well and finally reaches his potential. But 7.5m is too much for a pitcher who only throw about 150 innings once in his career 5 years ago. Especially when last season he pitched 5.1 innings or less in 11 of his 26 starts. With the Cubs money issues, Rich Harden just wasn't a good risk anymore.

Edited December 9, 2009 by cubsfan26

[Guest]

If Harden is smart, he'll go to the Mariners. As a flyball pitcher whose biggest problem in 2009 was giving up HR, playing in Safeco with that defense behind him would be his best chance of success.

[CubColtPacer]

It will be interesting to see if that option is a player one or a club one (more likely player, but with his injuries it might be a club).

 

It looks like the question about arbitration has been solved. Harden very likely would have accepted unless like Tim suggested Hendry had strong armed him into refusing.

 

So it looks like the Cubs would have not gotten picks for Harden regardless and that they at least gauged the market correctly. The question of if he will be worth the contract he would have gotten in the arbitration process is still to be answered.

 

Edit: Saw that the contract may not be finalized yet after I wrote this. I definitely agree that going to the Mariners would be the better move especially if Harden is trying to use this year to play his way into a huge contract.

[17 Seconds]

But 7.5m is too much for a pitcher who only throw about 150 innings once in his career 5 years ago. Especially when last season he pitched 5.1 innings or less in 11 of his 26 starts.

 

you can go ahead and keep telling yourself that, but don't expect the rest of us to hop on the "defend hendry at all costs" bandwagon.

 

not offering harden arbitration was a horrible baseball move, and even if you want to blame it on the money situation, it's still hendry's fault. he's the one that has put this team in this position with his bad contracts.

 

but hey, he swung that aramis trade back in 03 and got derosa and stuff

[Guest]

and we couldnt have at least offered the guy arbitration.

 

He probably doesn't sign a 7.5m deal then. Since he probably would have gotten a few more million by accepting arbitration. I wish luck to Harden, and he does well and finally reaches his potential. But 7.5m is too much for a pitcher who only throw about 150 innings once in his career 5 years ago. Especially when last season he pitched 5.1 innings or less in 11 of his 26 starts. With the Cubs money issues, Rich Harden just wasn't a good risk anymore.

 

Maybe he signs for less. One of Hendry's few good features was his ability to avoid arbitration. Harden wanted to come back. Seems like something could have been worked out knowing that the Cubs had budget constraints.

[CubColtPacer]

and we couldnt have at least offered the guy arbitration.

 

He probably doesn't sign a 7.5m deal then. Since he probably would have gotten a few more million by accepting arbitration. I wish luck to Harden, and he does well and finally reaches his potential. But 7.5m is too much for a pitcher who only throw about 150 innings once in his career 5 years ago. Especially when last season he pitched 5.1 innings or less in 11 of his 26 starts. With the Cubs money issues, Rich Harden just wasn't a good risk anymore.

 

Maybe he signs for less. One of Hendry's few good features was his ability to avoid arbitration. Harden wanted to come back. Seems like something could have been worked out knowing that the Cubs had budget constraints.

 

Hendry just usually settles somewhere in the middle of the two numbers. And there's no incentive for Harden to settle for less than he thinks he can get as soon as he accepts arbitration. The Cubs would have had to settle in the middle again or risk the hearing.

[davell]

and we couldnt have at least offered the guy arbitration.

 

 

He would have taken it and made more through that than what he's making at 7.5.......All this says to me is we are truly hamstrung financially this offseason and we prioritized an OFer more than we did a SP......Personally, I'd have kept Harden and made a concession in RF with a Hermida type guy, if we absolutely HAD to get rid of Bradley......