11-09-2009, 02:40 PM
From Buster Olney's Insider column (Link)
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->The Cubs are prepared to let Rich Harden and Reed Johnson go, writes Paul Sullivan. Harden would make some sense for a team with a little payroll flexibility willing to gamble on a modest one-year deal -- such as the Mets or Red Sox, who gambled this past winter on Brad Penny and John Smoltz. On a one-year deal, Harden is low-risk and potentially high-reward, but any team that signs Harden would have to be built to absorb a series of five-inning starts. Harden averaged a whopping 17.7 pitches per inning for the Cubs last season.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->The Cubs are prepared to let Rich Harden and Reed Johnson go, writes Paul Sullivan. Harden would make some sense for a team with a little payroll flexibility willing to gamble on a modest one-year deal -- such as the Mets or Red Sox, who gambled this past winter on Brad Penny and John Smoltz. On a one-year deal, Harden is low-risk and potentially high-reward, but any team that signs Harden would have to be built to absorb a series of five-inning starts. Harden averaged a whopping 17.7 pitches per inning for the Cubs last season.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->