I'd be interested in keeping Harden...

[Runnys]

Am I the only one that doesn't care one way or the other whether Harden is on the team? I would not offer him more than a 2 year contract and it wouldn't break 15-17 million. Someone else is going to give more than that to him and they can have him.

[Clapp]

<!--quoteo(post=59835:date=Aug 24 2009, 08:36 PM:name=rok)-->QUOTE (rok @ Aug 24 2009, 08:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->And Burnett is a model of consistency compared to Harden. I don't think anyone is willing to guarantee Harden more than 2 years. It would be beyond foolish.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yeah. To me if you're going to give a guy so much money and a deal longer than 2 years, he better be able to at least give you innings. Burnett's thrown over 200 innings 3 times, and over 150 6 times. Harden's season high is 189.2, and even if he ever became capable of doing that again, it's unlikely a team is going to have trust in him to even attempt it. His 148 innings last year was the most he's thrown since that 189.2 season, in 2004.

[savant]

I wouldn't go past one year with him, maybe a second year vesting option. Offer him arbitration, if he can't get the multi-year deal he will be back for one year, if he gets the multi-year deal take the draft picks and run.

[Coldneck]

<!--quoteo(post=59843:date=Aug 24 2009, 10:54 PM:name=savant)-->QUOTE (savant @ Aug 24 2009, 10:54 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->I wouldn't go past one year with him, maybe a second year vesting option. Offer him arbitration, if he can't get the multi-year deal he will be back for one year, if he gets the multi-year deal take the draft picks and run.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
+1. I couldn't have said it better myself. I hope he declines arb and we get a draft pick for him. I just don't think we'll be competitive next year with or without Harden. I'd rather spend the money on the farm system. But we have to offer him arbitration, because he is definitely worth a 1 yr / 10 M deal. Plus it gives us another year to see what he can do. If we suck and he is pitching well, we can trade him at the deadline.

[Coldneck]

Buster Olney's take on the situation:

<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Paul Sullivan thinks Rich Harden is in line for a $60 million deal. The guess here is that because of his injury history, his ceiling for any possible contract would be about $20 million. He scares everybody.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[kbwsb]

I'm one of the biggest Harden fans around, but I agree with all you guys. Where does Sullivan get this stuff?
As stated, the market has changed significantly. And Dick Harden is one step above Prior/Wood on the brittleness scale.

Fifty or sixty million? The only scenario in which I could see that happening would be if the Yankees lost the World Series this year, and the reason was that they didn't have a shutdown SP. They're rich, they hand out absurd contracts, and they could probably get away with the plan that we seemed to be using this year: use him sparingly during the year to save him for the post-season.

[BT]

<!--quoteo(post=59816:date=Aug 24 2009, 08:16 PM:name=Ace)-->QUOTE (Ace @ Aug 24 2009, 08:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->I can't envision a scenario in which Harden could possibly get from the Cubs what another team will pay him.

Which sets up potentially interesting 2010 rotation issues. For example, it is unlikely that Wells continues to be the best pitcher on the staff. That could leave the Cubs with Zambrano and Lilly, who are likely to be strong, and Dempster who will probably be around 4.00. Then what about the back of the rotation?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->


Personally, I don't think any of us has any idea what the market will be like. It SHOULD be totally down, but then again, you have the GM who loves to cry poor, KW, drop 120 million on 2 guys. This winter will be very interesting.

And Ace, to answer your question, even if Wells doesn't continue to be our best pitcher, there is no reason to think he can't be our 4th starter. That would leave us with a wealth of possibilities to fill out the #5 slot.

[BT]

Oh, and I'll be pissed if we don't tender Harden arbitration at all. We need to at least get a couple of picks for him (assuming he is a type A Free Agent).

[Ace]

<!--quoteo(post=60005:date=Aug 25 2009, 05:03 PM:name=BT)-->QUOTE (BT @ Aug 25 2009, 05:03 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Oh, and I'll be pissed if we don't tender Harden arbitration at all. We need to at least get a couple of picks for him (assuming he is a type A Free Agent).<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

There is absolutely NO excusable reason - short of his shoulder exploding between now and the arbitration deadline - for us not to offer him arbitration. This is not like with Wood where we would have had serious financial problems if he accepted. Harden stands to get a 10 to 20 percent raise in arbitration at most.

Further, the odds that he accepts are significantly lower than with Wood.

I'm with you, BT - if the Cubs don't offer him arbitration, and there appears to be no (further) injury issue, I will lose my shit.

[offcolorpoetry]

Yeah, I was thinking about Harden the other day and came to the conclusion that he shouldn't be signed to anything more than a two-year deal. He's too much of a risk to lockup for the long term.

[PcB]

<!--quoteo(post=60294:date=Aug 27 2009, 01:35 AM:name=Gracie)-->QUOTE (Gracie @ Aug 27 2009, 01:35 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Yeah, I was thinking about Harden the other day and came to the conclusion that he shouldn't be signed to anything more than a two-year deal. He's too much of a risk to lockup for the long term.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
You actually had to "think about it" to come up with that conclusion?

[Coach]

Stone's Twitter:
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Rich harden will miss a start or two at crunch time for the cubs. The twins must be elated by lack of trade. No arbitration-no draft picks.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Giff]

[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[Butcher]

<!--quoteo(post=63447:date=Sep 17 2009, 12:29 PM:name=Coach)-->QUOTE (Coach @ Sep 17 2009, 12:29 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Stone's Twitter:
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE <!--quotec-->Rich harden will miss a start or two at crunch time for the cubs. The twins must be elated by lack of trade. No arbitration-no draft picks.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Steve Stone needs to shut the fuck up already.

[veryzer]

harden sucks. take him and bradley and soriano and put them on a rocket ship to the sun.