Rich Harden is a Chicago Cub … Still
The waiver trade deadline, 1 p.m. EST, has come and gone. Remaining
Chicago Cubs are pitchers Rich Harden and Aaron Heilman – the subjects
of increased trade chatter after their public waiver claims – as well
as all other Cubs.
It seems the Chicago Cubs like their chances to pull off an improbable
comeback in the N.L. Wild Card race, where the team trails the
Colorado Rockies by 5.5 games. Stranger things have happened, I
suppose, but leapfrogging four teams in one month is an incredibly
tall task.
Series Preview: Astros v. Cubs, August 31 – September 2, 2009
The Chicago Cubs once again welcome the Houston Astros to Wrigley Field, as the season flips into September. And it’s not quite the September we all envisioned it would be.
So, the series preview: the idea is to hook you up with what you need to know about every series this year. That way you can look like a genius, hardcore fan in front of all your friends, with minimum effort. Oh, and there will be pictures of hot chicks, too.
Read the full Astros preview, complete with hot chicks, after the jump
September Call-Ups
As the calendar flips to September tomorrow, the Chicago Cubs’ roster will expand from 25 to 40, and the team can therefore call up a whole bunch of youngsters to join the big club. That, they will do, but the faces are expected to look familiar.
Eventually, manager Lou Piniella expects to bring up seven or eight players.
“I think you’ve seen them here before,” Piniella said Friday. “I don’t think there will be any surprises.”
There are several players on the Iowa roster who have spent time with Chicago this season, led by pitcher Jeff Samardzija and first baseman-outfielder Micah Hoffpauir.
…
Other pitchers who could be in line for a callup include Justin Berg, Esmailin Caridad and Jeff Stevens, who all have appeared in relief for Chicago this season.
Rule 5 pick David Patton, who pitched a scoreless inning for Iowa on Sunday, was with Chicago until the team placed him on the disabled list with a groin strain on July 5. He could return as well.
The Cubs also are expected to recall infielder Andres Blanco, a defensive specialist who hit .237 in 93 at-bats and has been rehabbing a calf injury in Iowa. Infielder Bobby Scales, who was first called up in May after 11 seasons in the Minors, also could be back. cubs.com.
The Cubs may not add anyone else who isn’t already on the official 40-man roster, no wanting to start the arbitration clock of such players.
Harden to Twins is Possible, but Not Likely
Today is the waiver trade deadline, so it is the last day – like, seriously, this is THE deadline – to trade players for the 2009 season. Players placed on waivers are the only ones eligible to be traded, and Chicago Cubs starter Rich Harden is one such guy. He was claimed by the Minnesota Twins, and the two teams are discussing a possible trade.
But two people close to Harden said they doubted Harden is heading to the Twins. To their knowledge, the Cubs had yet to open a window for the Twins to negotiate a long-term deal with Harden, who is a pending free agent.
It’s possible the Twins would trade for Harden without a long-term extension. He will be a Type A free agent, which would assure them two compensation picks in the 2010 draft if he signed elsewhere.
Though Harden has a history of arm trouble, the Twins believe he would be a good fit. His family actually has roots in Winnipeg, Manitoba, though he was raised in Victoria, British Columbia. StarTribune.com.
Folks are finally catching on to my point that even though the Cubs can get compensatory picks for Harden if he walks via free agency, so can a team that trades for him. Thus, they should be just as likely to want to trade for Harden as the Cubs are to want to keep him.
Enhanced Box Score: Mets 4, Cubs 1 – August 30, 2009
Shrug. That Figueroa dude looked like Mark Prior circa 2003 in the first four innings.
Reports: Cubs May Work Out Trade with Twins for Rich Harden
In a throwaway line from his column yesterday on the Jeff Baker and Alfonso Soriano injuries, Bruce Miles dropped a mini bombshell:
Harden update: There are reports that the Cubs may be able to work out a trade with the Minnesota Twins for pitcher Rich Harden, whom the Cubs put on waivers last week. Reports say the Twins have been awarded the claim. Daily Herald.
As long as those “reports” aren’t our own article here at Bleacher Nation, this could be a very interesting development. Presumably, Miles is referring to a Ken Rosenthal (who’s usually not tremendously tapped in to the Cubs), who late yesterday indicated that a deal might happen.
Until late yesterday, no one believed a trade was actually a realistic possibility. Even if nothing materializes, it’s encouraging to see that the Cubs are looking a bit forward, and planning for the future.
God’s Wrathwatch: MRI Reveals that Soriano is Pretty Much Fine
So much for using the knee as an excuse for a terrible season.
I kid. Mostly.
The Cubs and Alfonso Soriano got good news Saturday when an MRI exam on his left knee showed only inflammation, a condition that could require only medication.
Dr. Stephen Gryzlo, the team’s orthopedic specialist, will examine Soriano again today with the test results in hand to determine what follows, perhaps an injection of anti-inflammatory cortisone.
”We’ll wait to see what the doctor says,” manager Lou Piniella said. ”I would assume it will be a couple more days [before Soriano can play].” CHICAGO SUN-TIMES.
Soriano got the MRI a couple days early, as the Cubs were ready to find out what the problem was. Inflammation, though not as serious as a tear of some kind, is actually probably a more frustrating diagnosis. With a tear, you do surgery, and you see what happens. With “inflammation,” you do… what? Some cortisone shots, and rest it, and … what?
The truth of the matter is Soriano is getting older. This could be a problem going forward.
God’s Wrathwatch: Jeff Baker’s Finger OK
Utility man Jeff Baker is going to be ok, it seems.
Jeff Baker was supposed to start at third base, but he took a groundball off his right pinkie finger during batting practice and had to be scratched from the lineup. Baker went for X-rays, and the Cubs said those turned up negative. Daily Herald.
Presumably, he’ll take a few days off, and be back at it later this week. Still, the fact that he was rushed to the hospital for x-rays upon a ball hitting his pinkie indicates that the injury is a little more serious than your run of the mill jammed finger.
