The Cubs were just involved in a six-player trade for Oakland’s Rich Harden, notably sending Matt Murton, Eric Patterson, and Sean Gallagher for the oft-injured ace. I can’t help but feel a rumble in my stomach; I mean, it’s super-savvy for Jim Hendry to pull this off the day after the Milwaukee Brewers snagged CC Sabathia for a bag of peanuts and an incriminating video of their infield having a gay orgy , but Harden has had a ton of injury problems the last few years. For any Cubs fan this will bring back ominous memories of once-promising Mark Prior, who had a Cy Young-worthy year in 2003 and proceeded to spend the next half-decade on the DL, squandering dozens of ready-made puns (“Cubs make resigning Prior a Prior-ity,” “Prior sharp after Prior poor outing,” etc).
Of course, if Harden stays healthy, then the Cubs have to be NL Pennant favorites going into the playoffs, which they could be even without his help. But here is the cruel reality: Harden hasn’t pitched a full season since 2004 (where he didn’t even top 200 IP), and he hasn’t been consistently dominant since 2005 (when he pitched a half-season). And that’s going to be on the mind of every Cubs fan the moment Harden is prematurely taken out of a game for shoulder tightness, or every time we see him wince after fielding a routine grounder.
But, here’s also the good stuff: Harden has destroyed NL teams (posting a 1.81 ERA over ten games), the Cubs are planning to give him an extra day of rest every start (Harden: “I feel like I can go out there every fifth or sixth day, and if I get a day off here or there, it definitely makes a difference. Just with the history of having some injuries, that one extra day does make a difference, so I think that's something that we'd do.”), the Cubs have the cash to throw at him should he stay healthy (if they want to lock him up for a long time), and in his first start against the Giants, he struck out 10 in a little over five innings while giving up no runs. Sure, they almost lost the game later on, and sure, it's the Giants, but it was a strong first statement.
On paper, the Cubs have the best 1-2-3 rotation of any NL contender, with the Dodgers close behind. If this was a videogame, Hendry would immediately trade Harden for a big bat and a lesser pitcher (I would furiously hammer out prospective deals for Colorado’s Matt Holliday and Aaron Cook until my fingers bled), but as soon as Alfonso Soriano comes back and strengthens our already tough lineup, then look out, the Cubs should be the best team in the NL for sure.
I know Cubs fans won’t be confident in their team until we’re actually in the playoffs and doing well. But be patient: it looks like we’re for real this year, and on the bright side, you get to look forward to plenty of horrible Harden-related puns from the Sun-Times. I’m shooting for “Hard-en times for Harden” the first game he gets shelled.
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Jeremy Gordon
Jeremy is a born-and-raised Chicagoan who attended Walter Payton College Prep and is now a junior studying journalism at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
He has written for The Daily Northwestern, North By Northwestern, and Newcity Magazine. While a diehard Cubs fan, he grudgingly accepts that the White Sox World Series win in 2005 was a good thing for the city, though he still doesn't want to hear any of his friends brag about it.
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