My Fandom is Harden-ing

A few weeks between posts, but I swear I have a good excuse. I was...what's that? You don't give a shit? Righto, glad we got that out of the way. Big news, at least on the ol' unfounded hopes front: the Cubs landed Rich Harden in a six-player deal that evidently has been in the works for a while but still surprised the peripatetic Buster Olney (I'd link, but it's that Insider nonsense. F you, WWL.) Clearly the Brewers' acquisition of The World's Largest Pitcher must have lit the fire under this deal.

What's it mean? It means the Cubs gave up a few prospects I don't know much about--Corey Patterson's younger brother and some catcher--along with Matt Murton and Sean Gallagher. Murton's days as a hot prospect are past him, and Gallagher is a tough loss, but a good team looking to get over the dam can't afford to be stingy with a few prospects, especially in order to land a (potentially) elite starter.

The Baby Bears also scored the plodding but so-far undespised Chad Gaudin in what amounts, in trade world, to a pile of shredded newspapers.

When I say (potentially) elite, I mean that Harden is the real deal. He's got the cheese. But he is also, as No. 7 pointed out to me via the new cellular technology, made entirely out of popsicle sticks. Olney mentions in that unlinkable piece that he's had almost as many stays on the DL as victories in recent years. So there's that, and with Chicago being the Windy City and all, he probably shouldn't venture outside much lest the breezes break some ribs.

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