Naturally I am so worked up over Rich Harden's Cub debut Saturday afternoon, I have no choice but to stay up all night tonight in anticipation. As a result, I am following tonight's late games from the West Coast as they happen, including Sean Gallagher's first start for the Athletics, who are opening a series against the AL West-leading Angels in Oakland.

Gallagher pitched the first seven innings of the game, which the A's currently lead, 9-2. The 22-year-old righty allowed just two hits, three walks, and two earned runs before he was lifted. The seven-inning stint matches Gallagher's longest this year for the Cubs, back in late May when Gallagher and his mates beat the Dodgers, 3-1.

During tonight's late edition of Baseball Tonight on ESPN, Tim Kurkjian reiterated what has been written elsewhere, that Gallagher was the key player from the A's perspective in the Harden trade. For at least a moment this evening, Oakland fans also had to be feeling good about having acquired Matt Murton—the redhead smacked a bases loaded single to plate two runs in the middle of a 6-run Oakland rally in the third inning. That rally essentially locked up the game for the home team.

That was Murton's only hit in the game thus far. He is 1-for-5 with a strikeout.

In any case, I'm sure Rich Harden is happy to see his former team burying their chief AL West rivals.

Shortly after the announcement of the Cubs' acquisition of Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin from the Athletics on Tuesday afternoon, WSCR's Boers & Bernstein took a call from Dave in Bloomingdale, who decried the Cubs having to give up both Matt Murton—1 HR in 231 AB's this season, with Iowa and the Cubs combined—and Eric Patterson, who has hit the hell out of the ball in the minors, but simply fields like hell.

That conveys all one needs to know about the average sports I.Q. of the average sportstalk listener.

Here is what some knowledgable observers outside of Chicago had to say about the deal, which brings the gifted but oft-injured Harden and Gaudin to 1060 West Addison and sends Murton, Patterson, Sean Gallagher, and minor league catcher Josh Donaldson to Oakland:

Yes, pity the A's fan who's seen so many aces disappear up so many other teams' sleeves. But A's fans should embrace Tuesday's trade...

Harden was house money. His right arm, so worrisome over the years, had transformed back into a wanted commodity, thanks to a 5-1 first-half record. Despite back-to-back sub-par outings, he was the A's best trade bait.

The Cubs wanted him, and they can have him. They need him more than the A's do. And they'll need to get skipper Lou Piniella a reliable pitch-count clicker to track Harden.

— Cam Inman, Contra Costa Times

"The Cubs were pretty aggressive," (Oakland GM Billy) Beane said. Cubs GM "Jim Hendry and I talk quite a bit anyway. We consistently had conversations over the past month; we came to an agreement this morning. They were looking for Rich..."

From the A's point of view, Gallagher was key to the deal. Beane said the A's have been following Gallagher's progress since he joined the pro ranks. He is scheduled to start for the A's on Friday.

"We've had numerous injuries," Beane said. "Guys have done a good job battling through it, but as far as what we're doing, this is a step forward for what we're doing for the next four or five years."

— Susan Slusser, San Francisco Chronicle

My first reaction is that Cubs fans ought to be insanely happy about this. They're not likely going to miss any of those players in their pennant drive much, while Harden and Gaudin will both make an immediate impact, especially if they turn Gaudin back into a starter.

And my second reaction is that if Cubs fans should be happy, then A's fans should be disappointed. I like Gallagher, but Murton seems redundant on the A's roster, Patterson seems like the type of risky player who, like his brother Cory, will likely not pan out unless he can miraculously find some plate discipline, and Donaldson--never heard of him.

—Ken Arneson, Catfish Stew

Cubs general manager Jim Hendry checked in from time to time throughout June with Oakland general manager Billy Beane about the availability of Rich Harden...Yes, Harden was available, but only at the right price, and that price would include right-handed pitcher Sean Gallagher. Hendry indicated, repeatedly, that Gallagher wasn't available.

On Sunday evening -- the same night when word broke that the Brewers had worked out a deal for CC Sabathia -- Hendry indicated to Beane...that he would make Gallagher available in a Harden deal, but it would create a problem: If Gallagher was traded, the Cubs wouldn't have the kind of depth they needed to deal with an injury.

"Let me call you back," Beane said.

Beane had an idea. He could fill Hendry's need for depth by adding veteran swingman Chad Gaudin in the trade. He phoned Hendry back on Monday night with the suggestion. "That could work," Hendry said, and the two general managers began piecing together other parts of the trade. Beane called Hendry with a detail of the trade very late on Monday night...

Some 15 hours later, the trade was finished. Oakland got Gallagher, a pitching prospect with a more stable medical history than Harden, and the Cubs got a high-risk, high-reward talent in Harden.

— Buster Olney, ESPN.com

Finally there was this summation from Buck Showalter on ESPN's Baseball Tonight:

"Harden's stuff is just wipeout filthy."

Late word from Wrigley Field Wednesday night, as reported by Paul Sullivan on the Trib's Hardball blog, is that Jim Edmonds, pending the results of a physical, "is expected to be in a Cubs uniform Thursday afternoon."

If the new Cub is in the starting lineup for Thursday's game, he will be facing former Cub Greg Maddux, who will be starting for the Padres against Ryan Dempster.

The irony is obvious: Cub fans will presumably be rooting for a formerly hated opponent to succeed at the expense of a still beloved, former Cub.

For the record, Edmonds has gone .263/.282/.500 against Maddux in 38 AB's, with 2 HR and 4 RBI.

Cubs.com also notes that Daryle Ward is suffering from a bad back. If Ward has to go on the DL, lefthanded-hitting 1B/OF Micah Hoffpauir could be summoned from Iowa. Since reporting to the I-Cubs on May 7th following recovery from a pulled muscle in his rib cage, Hoffpauir has gone 9-for-27 with 2 HR and 10 RBI, 9 of them coming in just two games, Monday and Tuesday night.

As Mike Wellman pointed out at The Cub Reporter, that's more RBI in two games than Matt Murton had produced in 23.

9
Number of games the Cubs won during Alfonso Soriano's 14-game stay on the Disabled List

7
Runs per game scored by the Cubs during Soriano's absence

5.2
Runs per game scored by the Cubs before Soriano's absence

2
Number of home runs hit by Alfonso Soriano in 2008

1
Number of home runs hit by Cub leftfielders not named Alfonso Soriano in 2008

30
Number of bases Alfonso Soriano says he is capable of stealing by the end of the season

23
Number of bases Alfonso Soriano will steal in 2008 at his current pace, assuming he plays each of the remaining 137 games

001
Difference so far this season between the cumulative OPS generated by Cub leadoff men (538) and the Cubs' ninth-place hitters (537)

0
Likelihood that Matt Murton will be in the Cub dugout Thursday afternoon instead of on his way back to the Pacific Coast League

Based on a tip from Inside The Ivy, The Cub Reporter has posted the news that Matt Murton is on his way to Chicago, presumably to replace Eric Patterson, who would be sent to Triple-A Iowa, from whence he came earlier this week.

Patterson was hitless in four at-bats in today's 3-2 victory over the Pirates and struck out in three of his five PA's since the recall.

---

Going into Friday's game with the Pirates, here is the Cubs' offensive production by batting order position (stats for each position are AVG/OBP/SLG/OPS):

1. Soriano (11 games), Fontenot (2), Theriot (2) -- .194/.237/.306/543
2. Johnson 6 G, Theriot 5 G, Soriano 2 G -- .225/.267/.352/619
3. Lee (15) -- .379/.432/.742/1174
4. Ramirez (15) -- .224/.352/.431/783
5. Fukudome (13) -- .300/.408/.417/825
6. DeRosa (13), Soto (2) -- .321/.449/.643/1092
7. Sot0 (9), Theriot (3) -- .339/.415/.482/897
8. Pie (6), Theriot (3), Blanco (3) -- .175/.238/.193/431
9. Lilly (4), Zambrano (4), Dempster (3) -- .245/.310/.321/631

The Tribune is reporting that Reed Johnson, who had a career-high four hits on Thursday, two more hits on Friday, and is now hitting .375, will get a shot at the leadoff spot on Saturday, when the Cubs go up against Pittsburgh lefty Tom Gorzelanny.

Stats: Bill James Online

I was going to post over the lunch hour in reaction to the results of Alfonso Soriano's MRI and the Cubs' announced roster move--recall of Matt Murton? Eric Patterson?--assuming Soriano would be placed on the DL. But neither the MRI results nor the roster move have been announced yet. So there.

In the meantime, I will take advantage of this opportunity to celebrate something I saw last night which I deem fully worthy of celebration:

Aramis Ramirez driving the ball deep to left field and hustling out of the batter's box.

Maybe it's because he was positive the ball wouldn't clear the left field wall. Maybe he was trying to look good in front of his former manager. Whatever the reason, it was gratifying to see.

As long as it doesn't cause him to pull a calf muscle.

Update: Soriano goes on the 15-day DL, and Eric Patterson is your newest Chicago Cub. He's not starting tonight, however, as DeRosa continues in left field, and Mike Fontenot holds down second and bats leadoff.

From Paul Sullivan on the Chicago Tribune baseball blog Wednesday afternoon:

Baltimore president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail told reporters in Ft. Lauderdale Wednesday that a Brian Roberts deal with the Cubs is off the table.

From Jeff Zrebiec, writing on the Baltimore Sun Web site Wednesday evening:

Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail acknowledged today that it's unlikely that Roberts will be traded before Monday's season opener against the Tampa Bay Rays at Camden Yards.

MacPhail has been in trade talks with the Chicago Cubs about Roberts for several months, but the talks stalled over the past week or so and it's a long shot that they'll heat back up any time soon, according to two industry sources.

Sullivan's no-trade report sounds more definitive and final than the story in the Sun, but either way it looks like Brian Roberts will be a Baltimore Oriole on Opening Day and very likely, until at least mid-season, when the O's could start shopping him to any then-contending teams inclined to deal with Non-Trader Andy...the Cubs, perhaps.

In other Cubs personnel news, Lou Piniella decided on the make-up of his bench: Mike Fontenot (884 OPS this Spring), Henry Blanco (912 OPS), Daryle Ward (10 RBI in 38 AB), Ronny Cedeno (14 hits this Spring; 6 for extra bases), and newly acquired Reed Johnson.

No, the name of Matt Murton is not on the list, and yes, the Cubs are hoping to trade him.

Explained Piniella:

"Murton's had a good spring. We like him. But we're going to carry 12 pitchers... If Matt's not here with us, I hope we can find a major-league job for him."

– All but two of the Cubs were able to make it through the first weekend of Spring Training without requiring the attention of a cardiologist or getting beaten up by a panhandler.

The exceptions were Mark DeRosa and Jose Ascanio.

DeRosa flew back to Chicago Monday to see a cardiologist after he experienced an irregular heartbeat on Saturday and spent Saturday night in a Mesa hospital.

According to Carrie Muskat's story at cubs.com, DeRosa has been aware of the irregular heartbeat since he was a teenager.

"I went through a gamut of tests when I was in high school to make sure it was nothing serious," (DeRosa) said. "It's never been a problem. I've been able to have certain techniques over the years that have got me out of the situation. It's never been an issue.

"The other day, it didn't get progressively worse but just lasted a lot longer," DeRosa said. "I needed some help to get me back to the right heartbeat. That's why the precautions were taken to go over to the hospital."

DeRosa expects the Chicago cardiologist to prescribe medication or recommend an unspecified "outpatient procedure" to help him deal with the problem.

Ascanio, meanwhile, was thumped outside a Scottsdale convenience store on Saturday night "by a guy who was looking for some money," according to Cubs manager Lou Piniella.

Ascanio's face and left eye were swollen after the incident and he was held out of workouts on Sunday. His status is day to day.

– Here's a swell Web site: Greg Rybarczyk's Hit Tracker, which lists the "true distance" of every Major League home run.

Rybarczyk, who holds a degree in mechanical engineering, determined that Aramis Ramirez hit the longest home run in all of Major League Baseball last season, a 495-foot shot off the Pirates' Paul Maholm on September 21st. Matt Murton had the Cubs' second longest homer of the year, a 449-foot blast off the Astros' Dave Borkowski on August 7th in Houston.

What makes the site doubly swell is the way Rybarczyk classifies each home run as "Just Enough," "No Doubt," or "Plenty" and tabulates the homers within each category. Alfonso Soriano paced the Cubs with 9 No Doubts in 2007; Derrek Lee led the team with 8 Just Enoughs.

What makes the site triply swell is that it offers links to mlb.com so you can see video footage of each longball.

– I'm no mechanical engineer, but by my calculations, this past weekend will be the last weekend without Cubs baseball until the conclusion of the regular season, the weekend of Sept. 27-28. Of course, the date will be even later if the Cubs are able to make the...oh, forget it.

I'm not going to risk jinxing it.

Maybe you're not.

Phil Rogers says "a very highly placed source" tells him the Cubs and Orioles are continuing to talk about a blockbuster deal that could bring Eric Bedard and Brian Roberts to the Cubs.

Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald is obviously talking to different people:

Hendry continues to work on possible trades, but informed insiders say no renewed talks are under way for a blockbuster with the Baltimore Orioles that would bring pitcher Erik Bedard and second baseman Brian Roberts to Chicago.

During this past weekend's Cubs convention, manager Lou Piniella said he didn't believe the Cubs would land even Roberts by himself, let alone Roberts and Bedard.

Let's throw it back to Phil Rogers:

...the one name to definitely keep in mind with the Cubs is Marlon Byrd. They are having conversations with the Texas Rangers about the center fielder, and this is a deal that could happen fairly quickly, assuming the Cubs are willing to give up some pitching.

The rumor in Texas involved Byrd for Matt Murton, but others say the deal would be Byrd for two or three players, including Murton. The Rangers, like the Orioles, apparently want pitching prospect Sean Gallagher to be in a deal.

Mr. Miles?

The Cubs like Texas outfielder Marlon Byrd. Hendry is actively shopping outfielder Matt Murton.

This is making me dizzy. Here's what I think:

Roberts' speed and OBP would be nice, but the cost for upgrading from DeRosa to Roberts is bound to exceed the value of the move and its net overall impact on the Cub offense. It's not that Roberts isn't a talented batsman, but that his contribution would be mitigated by the fact that DeRosa would no longer have a regular place to play.

It would be swell to pry Bedard loose from Andy MacPhail, but Seattle seems to have more blue chip prospects to offer than the Cubs do.

With respect to Byrd, I have the feeling the Cubs are overvaluing him based on one strong partial season in the hitter's paradise of Arlington, Texas. I like Murton, though I have to admit he seems to have no well-defined role on this Cubs team.

If Jim Hendry is bound and determined to move Murton, I hope they can get more for him than Marlon Byrd. The thought that the Cubs would have to part with three or four players to get him is flat-out repulsive.

The Texas Rangers struck a deal on Wednesday with Marlon Byrd, their 30-year-old arbitration-eligible outfielder. Why might this be of interest to Cubs fans? Because, at least according to WMVP's Bruce Levine, Byrd is on Jim Hendry's shopping list.

The right-handed hitting Byrd was drafted by the Phillies in 1999, reached the majors in 2002, and spent three-plus seasons in Philadelphia before he was traded to the Nationals in May of '05. He played with the Nats in '05 and '06, after which he became a free agent and signed with the Rangers.

After starting the '07 season in the minors, he was called up on May 26th and gave the Texas offense an immediate jolt, hitting .375 with a 936 OPS through the end of June. In a total of 109 games for the Rangers last season, Byrd reached career highs in batting average (.307), HR (10), RBI (70), OPS (814) and OPS+ (113).

In six MLB seasons (517 games), Byrd has hit .273/.334/.394, with 355 strikeouts and 137 walks. He has also stolen 36 bases in 48 attempts.

Byrd can play all three outfield positions, though he has seen significantly more time in center field than in either of the corners. Still, according to the Dallas Morning News,

Byrd "is expected to hold down a corner outfield spot this season. Which corner will depend on the health of recently-signed outfielder Milton Bradley."

With the Cubs, Byrd could supplant Matt Murton as a reserve outfielder, back-up Felix Pie or Sam Fuld in center, or maybe hold down the position altogether, until the Cubs deem one of the youngsters ready for the job.