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Red Sox Rumors: Vargas, Harden, Buchholz, Bedard

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The latest on the Red Sox…

  • The Mariners are offering Jason Vargas to the Red Sox, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, who hears that the Red Sox are all over the map in trade discussions. Don’t expect Derek Lowe to return to Boston and don’t expect Carlos Zambrano to become a trade target, but Aaron Harang and Jeremy Guthrie are possibilities for GM Theo Epstein.
  • The Red Sox and Yankees scouted Rich Harden in Oakland today, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
  • A source familiar with Clay Buchholz's back injury tells WEEI's Alex Speier the Red Sox are "'very concerned' that the issue is not muscular, but instead could involve a structural issue such as a bone."  Speier says the Sox are "monitoring the starting pitcher market broadly," because of Buchholz as well as concern with current members of the rotation.
  • The Red Sox are "all over" Mariners lefty Erik Bedard, report Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, and they'll be among the many teams scouting him against the Rays tomorrow night.  They note that the Mariners had two scouts watching Boston's Double-A club on Wednesday and one watching their Triple-A affiliate.
  • Though the Sox continue to look for starting pitchers, CBS Sports' Danny Knobler tweets that they're telling teams the focus is now a right-handed hitting outfielder.  He notes that they would "almost certainly" try for White Sox right fielder Carlos Quentin, if Chicago makes him available.

Red Sox Rumors: Rasmus, Starting Pitchers

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The latest on the Red Sox, who have the best record in the American League…

Red Sox Have Inquired About Rich Harden

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The Red Sox have inquired about A's right-hander Rich Harden, reports Peter Gammons (Twitter link).  After spending much of the season on the 60-day DL with a muscle injury in his throwing arm, Harden has a 5.00 ERA in three starts with Oakland.  Two of those outings were quality starts and Harden has an impressive 17 strikeouts (against just four walks) in 18 innings pitched. 

Boston owner John Henry predicted a "quiet deadline" for his team yesterday but acquiring Harden would give the Sox a bit more depth for their struggling and injury-plagued rotation.  Of course, the big question with Harden is if he can avoid injury himself and if he can pitch effectively in a hitter-friendly park like Fenway.  Not that money is necessarily a major issue for Boston, but Harden is a potentially great late-season bargain — he has only around $600K remaining on the one-year, $1.5MM deal he signed with the A's last winter.

Quick Hits: Hanrahan, Harden, Dodgers, Ring

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Some links for Sunday afternoon…

West Notes: Giants, Teagarden, Harden, Angels

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Jhoulys Chacin lowered his ERA to 2.81 today after allowing just one run on three hits in six innings today against the Padres.  Chacin picked up his eighth win of the season and improved his case for inclusion on the NL All-Star Team.

Some notes from both divisions out west….

  • The Giants are looking to the Rangers as a potential source of catching help, reports CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler.  Taylor Teagarden is cited as a possible candidate once Mike Napoli returns from injury and resumes backing up Yorvit Torrealba.  Knobler says the Giants' catching search has extended to the minor leagues as the club has sent scouts to look at various Triple-A backstops.
  • Rich Harden looked good in his most recent simulated game and the Athletics are looking to send Harden on a rehab assignment in Triple-A next week, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
  • The Angels have signed 30 of their 49 draft picks, tweets Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.  The highest pick to sign thus far is fifth-round outfielder Andrew Ray.
  • The Angels and Rockies were the only MLB teams in the top 10 of ESPN The Magazine's annual list of the best franchises in sports, reports Chuck Schilken of the Los Angeles Times.  The Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers topped the list, while the Angels were fourth and the Rockies eighth.  The lowest-ranked baseball team?  The Mets, who ranked 117th out of 122 teams in MLB, the NFL, NHL and NBA.

Quick Hits: Guillen, Royals, Harden, Tribe

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The Nationals have announced the passing of shortstop prospect Yewri Guillen due to bacterial meningitis.  Guillen, 18, was signed by Washington in February and was playing at the club's Dominican Republic academy.  He was honored with a moment of silence before tonight's Brewers/Nationals game.  MLBTR sends our condolences to Guillen's friends and family.

Some news from around the majors…

  • Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star discussed potential call-ups and other roster moves for the Royals in a chat with fans this afternoon.
  • Rich Harden has suffered an injury to his teres major muscle that will likely elongate his stay on the disabled list, reports MLB.com's Eric Gilmore.  Harden, who signed a one-year, $1.5MM deal with the Athletics in December, has been on the DL with an injury to his throwing shoulder.
  • Are the surprising Indians for real?  Probably not, says Fangraphs' Steve Slowinski, but the Tribe has so many young players on the roster that it's hard to calculate if these players will drastically fall off or if some are just developing.  Slowinski also notes that Cleveland is winning despite slow starts from expected stars like Shin-Soo Choo and Carlos Santana.
  • The White Sox closer will be "whoever is there in the ninth inning," Ozzie Guillen tells Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune.  We didn't get a chance to see a save situation tonight as Chicago lost to the Angels, but keep following @CloserNews (MLBTR's sister Twitter feed) for the latest on who will be finishing games for the Pale Hose.

Athletics Sign Rich Harden

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Rich Harden is returning to Oakland, as the Athletics continue to collect starting pitchers with injury concerns.  Harden's one-year deal, which is now official, is worth $1.5MM plus incentives, so the risk is low in this case.

ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that Harden will compete for a rotation spot in Spring Training (Twitter link).  Another signing of this type, Brandon McCarthy, could be his main rival.  Harden spent the first five and a half seasons of his career in Oakland, where he posted lofty strikeout numbers and a 3.42 ERA between trips to the DL.  Last winter the Athletics brought in Ben Sheets and Justin Duchscherer as their injury-risk signings, committing $12MM to the pair despite both missing the entire 2009 season.  This year, they've guaranteed only $2.5MM to Harden and McCarthy.

The 29-year-old Harden continued to encounter health issues in 2010, but the low ERA and remarkable strikeout rate were nowhere to be found. Harden battled glute and shoulder injuries this year and posted a 5.58 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 6.1 BB/9 in 92 innings for the Rangers.  His 51.2% flyball rate was the third-highest in baseball among those with 90 innings, so he's suited for a big ballpark.

Seven teams other than Oakland reportedly had some interest in Harden: the Yankees, Twins, Rays, Diamondbacks, Brewers, Mariners, and Rockies. WMG represents Harden.

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle broke news of the agreement and SI's Jon Heyman added the amount.

Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.

A’s Interested In Rich Harden

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5:57pm: Renck reports the Harden-A's agreement is unconfirmed (Twitter link). The Rockies are out on Harden. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the A's have talked to Harden, who appears to have better offers elsewhere (Twitter links). Slusser notes that the A's are still talking to Justin Duchscherer.

5:09pm: The A's will sign Rich Harden, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports (Twitter link). Harden spent the first five and a half seasons of his career in Oakland, where he posted lofty strikeout numbers and a 3.42 ERA between trips to the DL.

The 29-year-old continued to encounter health issues in 2010, but the low ERA and remarkable strikeout numbers were nowhere to be found. Harden battled glute and shoulder injuries this year and posted a 5.58 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 6.1 BB/9 in 92 innings for the Rangers. 

Seven teams other than Oakland reportedly had some interest in Harden: the Yankees, Twins, Rays, Diamondbacks, Brewers, Mariners, and Rockies.

At Least Seven Teams Checked In On Rich Harden

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The Yankees, Twins, Rays, Diamondbacks, Brewers, Mariners, and Rockies have checked in on free agent righty Rich Harden, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Morosi says some teams like Harden as a starter, others as a reliever.

The oft-injured Harden received a $7.5MM guarantee from the Rangers last year, but had a lost season.  He posted a 5.58 ERA, 7.3 K/9, 6.1 BB/9, 1.8 HR/9, and 34.5% groundball rate in 92 innings, battling a strained glute and shoulder tendinitis.  These days he's a fastball/changeup pitcher with a 90.5 mph average heater.

Rockies Interested In Cantu, Harden, Bullpen Help

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We've heard that Ty Wigginton is the Rockies' top target for a right-handed bat, but the club has other targets for that role, as well as interest in several other players, according to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. Let's go over some of them:

  • Jorge Cantu is one alternative to Wigginton, despite a miserable second half to the 2010 season. GM Dan O'Dowd acknowledged that they'd prefer someone who can play in the outfield, but that's not critical.
  • The Rockies have soured on Josh Willingham due to Washington's asking price and concerns over the 31-year-old's knee. They've also called about Jeff Francoeur, believing he could handle first base.
  • Colorado would have interest in Rich Harden in a bullpen role, if the righty would be willing to make the switch from starting pitching. There's also the question of whether or not the injury-prone Harden could hold up physically. Renck says the Rox have tried to acquire Harden numerous times in the past, but to no avail.
  • Colorado is also looking at Kevin Gregg, Bobby Jenks, Brian Fuentes, Jesse Crain, and Pedro Feliciano, though the first three prefer to close, which won't happen in Denver.
  • The Rockies also haven't closed the door on Joe Beimel, who tells Renck he'd love to come back to Colorado.
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