The Chicago Sun Times is reporting that the Cubbies have been discussions with Billy Beane (wow, two references in 1 day!) about the A's oft-injured righty. From Chris De Luca's article:
"The Cubs have spent a lot of time on the phone recently with Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane trying to pry away right-hander Rich Harden. Expect the phone lines to start burning a little hotter beginning today.
Beane's in a tough spot. This season was supposed to be about rebuilding -- at least, that's what he told us last winter after dealing pitcher Dan Haren to the Arizona Diamondbacks and outfielder Nick Swisher to the White Sox for a combined nine prospects, including five starting pitchers. Then the A's -- even after dropping two straight to the White Sox over the weekend -- made a run in the watered-down AL West, sitting six games behind the fragile Los Angeles Angels."
Even with the A's in somewhat of contention, they will probably not make the playoffs. The Angels are just too good, and the Rays/Red Sox/Yankees probably have the wild card all sewn up.
This is from my comment on the Oakland Athletics page on the Oakland Tribune's website: "Sometimes you just have to know when to let go. Harden has been an enigma during his career. If he is healthy, it is time to get value for him. Trust Beane! If he thinks that it is time to deal Harden and continue to restock the farm system, you have got to trust his instincts. He really has never been wrong before.
Chavez should be next. The problem is, I doubt they could get any value for him.
The Cubs would be pretty solid after this. When Zambrano gets back to full strength, seeing Harden and Big Z in a series would not fair well for their opponent. Combine the staff with the above average bullpen and the pristine hitting, and you have a championship caliber team."
Keywords: Billy Beane, Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, Rich Harden
