Cubs win 7-3, and the return of old-school arms races

Reprinted with permission from Cubbie Nation - Notes From the Front Office

The Cubs had little trouble dispatching Aaron Harang and the Reds 7-3 tonight at Wrigley. The big news of the day though is the Cubs acquiring Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin for Josh Donaldson, Sean Gallagher, Matt Murton, and Eric Patterson. The official release is here. Check back in the morning for expanded coverage of that and tonight's game, along with game photos in our media section.

Update: 7/9/08 09:00 CDT

I could tell that Wrigleyville was absolutely abuzz from the moment that I hit the Addison stop. I had thoughts of getting to the ballpark early, catching batting practice -- which I never get to do -- and having a quiet moment. Instead what I got was nonstop Rich Harden talk. Most understood the magnitude of the deal, and were happy. And perhaps also impressed with the ability of Jim Hendry to make this acquisition at such a reasonable price.  Admit, didn't you think that when Harden finally got traded, Bill Beane was going to bleed someone dry? Be honest. A few were trying to figure out who Chad Guadin was. Well, he's the guy that I've been screaming that the Cubs need to find; someone that Lou is confident enough to give the damn ball to in the 6th and 7th innings. And yes, there were even a few old ladies and little girls who were shedding the proverbial tear for fan favorites Matt Murton and Sean Gallagher. Now Gallagher I might be able to somewhat understand, but Murton? Any fan of his had to understand that his Cubs career was unofficially over two off-seasons ago when Alfonso Soriano was signed. Since then, the Cubs were just killing time. But after gauging fan reaction, I'd have to say that Cubbie Nation is ecstatic with the deal, it had what I suspect was the desired psychological effect on the Brewers and their fans, and that this is probably going to work out to be a good deal for both clubs.

In Eric Patterson, Matt Murton, and Sean Gallagher, Beane found major-league ready talent that he's able to plug into his lineup tomorrow if he so choses. Outfield has been such a problem over the last few years for Oakland that Murton may actually find himself as a full-time starter there. Sean Gallagher, pitching in a expansive ballpark like McAfee, could be a big contributor down the stretch, and perhaps allow Oakland to still stay in the playoff chase -- even while doing in-season re-tooling. And Eric Patterson looks to be a suitable -- if only short-term -- replacement for the underrated Mark Ellis once Beane decides to shed that contract.

For the Cubs, you know what you get in Harden; a flame-throwing All-Star who will dominate when healthy, and someone who will drive you to madness when injured. And he's injured quite a bit, given his 6 trips to the DL in the last 3 years. Yeah, I know. We've seen this before. But, he's supposedly healthy now, and the Cubs have a good bullpen to help him stay that way. I figure you nurse him along a bit till the playoffs -- then go for gold. The real nugget in this trade though is Chad Gaudin. He's a fantastic swingman in the bullpen, capable of either being inserted into the back end of the rotation, or eating some innings in middle reliever. I don't think that he was a throw-in or an afterthought. What's interesting here is that not only does he make a deep bullpen deeper, but with Scott Eyre returning, it likely makes Michael Wuertz or Neal Cotts available for another deadline move. There was a great deal of interest in Wuertz prior to the season. The idea of dangling Michael with Jason Marquis to help the Cubs free themselves of that contract came to mind last night. Just a thought.

Well, some quick comments on last night's game. What's happened to Aaron Harang? The man has gone from being one of the best starters in the National League, to looking like a bad 5th starter. This was actually a rematch from earlier this year. Back on April 15th, both pitchers were equally as shaky, but the Cubs won 9-5 by swinging the bigger bat. Last night was no different, as the Cubs took advantage of eight walks, and two home runs -- Mike Fontenot in the 4th, and Geovany Soto in the 5th -- to win 7-3. Ryan Dempster did pitch well enough to win, picking up his 10th victory of the season. But that's about as nice a comment as I can make about the pitching last night, as it was shaky throughout.

And a final note, there are game photos from last night in the media gallery here. I really think you'll enjoy them. For those who are picking up Notes From the Front Office via syndication, I should mention that Cubbie Nation has a growing gallery of photos and videos. As the season progresses and we enter the stretch drive, I expect it to grow even further. Check back often.