Red Sox get Harden

[Drew]

According to reports, the Indians wanted Middlebrook and Kyle Weiland... if I'm the Red Sox, to make the deal done for sure, throw in Reddick for Jimenez, I'd do that instantly. You'd have a rotation of Lester, Beckett, Jimenez, Buchholz and still have all your top prospects.

A bit of a missed opportunity, I'd say.

[celticfan]

You could say that... But i dont see the red sox trading Reddick who is the future RF for the club... Jimenez has not played great this year though... 6-9 with a 4 ERA, so just because you get him, doesnt mean he preforms.. Harden is a much more low risk acquisition, giving up a good prospect, but one that wasnt going to play much for the team anyways, instead of giving up 4 prospects for a guy who hasnt played well this year

[Drew]

Oh, so you don't believe in Jimenez. Alright.

He's 27, controllable through his prime years, and can still throw 4 pitches. Last year, he was terrific. I wouldn't judge him just because he's had a bunch of bad starts this year. He's still got his fastball (somewhere), a terrific change-up and a decent slider.

[celticfan]

He lost some zip on his fastball from what I read online and stuff, and he just isnt as effective as he was last year or the year before... Im not saying he isnt anygood, he just isnt worth what Cleveland gave up for him... He is worth 1 high prospect and 1 mid prospect, but that is it... Not the 1 high and 3 mid that Cleveland gave for him

[cclipper44]

Supposedly the Sox didn't want to offer Weiland, Reddick, and a 3rd prospect for Hunter Pence, so I would have doubted that they would offer the same type package, but with 1 or 2 higher prospects added for Ubaldo

[celticfan]

Reports: Rich Harden deal falls throughEmailPrintComments891ESPN.com news services
A trade that had been in the works to send right-hander Rich Harden from the Oakland Athletics to the Boston Red Sox has reportedly fallen through.


Harden

A person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the private nature of such talks.

Harden said Saturday night he was told by general manager Billy Beane he was staying put and would start Tuesday. The clubs had been close to a swap that would have sent Harden to Beantown and brought Triple-A first baseman Lars Anderson to the A's.

"I just spoke with Billy and he says I'm an 'A' and I'm starting on Tuesday in Seattle," Harden told reporters. "It's definitely a strange position to be in, but from what I hear I'm here and I'm staying here. I'm happy to be an 'A'. ... It's definitely a strange position to be in."


Edes: Strange twist
ESPNBoston.com
The Red Sox looked set to land A's starter Rich Harden before the trade deadline but the deal fell through late Saturday, writes Gordon Edes. Blog

• Red Sox blog | ESPN Boston


Citing an MLB source, The Boston Globe reported the Red Sox pulled out of the deal because of Harden's medical history. The Red Sox reviewed his records and concluded he likely wouldn't be able to pitch injury-free through the end of the season, the report said.

Harden, 30, missed the first 82 games of this season with a strained latissimus dorsi muscle. But in the course of a big-league career that began in 2003, Harden has had disabling injuries to his shoulder, hip, back, trunk and elbow. He has a career record 57-35 over nine season with the A's, Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs.

Harden returned to Oakland's rotation in July and has made five starts, totaling 29 1/3 innings, with a 2-1 record and 4.30 ERA. His longest start came on July 16 against the Angels, when he went seven innings, striking out nine and walking two, in a 4-3 win.

In Anderson, the Red Sox would have given up a first baseman who seemed to have little future in Boston, given that his progress is blocked by Adrian Gonzalez, who has six years after this season remaining on his contract. Anderson is hitting .261 with 10 home runs and 57 RBIs for the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox.

Harden has $500,000 left on his $1.5 million, one-year contract.

"It's hard to just ignore (the rumors) but I know that a lot of times there's rumors and nothing ends up happening," Harden said. "You just have to push that in the back of your mind and try not to think about it too much."

ESPN.com's Jayson Stark and ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes contributed to this report. Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.


Looks like the deal fell through due to medical history