Rich Harden rejoined his former team, the Oakland Athletics on a 1 year deal. The contract is known to be worth $1.5 million.
Harden, now 29 years of age, started his major league career at 21 with the Athletics.
He looked like he would have a bright future as the ace of the team after his 1st full season, collecting 11 wins and an ERA just under 4.00 back in 2004
But injuries limited him his time in Oakland, as he was traded to the Chicago Cubs in 2008. He did finish the year with an ERA of 2.07, but only started 25 games.
In fact, 2004 is still his only year of his career when he started at least 30 games.
Last year, with the AL Champion Texas Rangers, he had an ERA of 5.58, with limited time being healthy. He was designated for assignment this offseason after his poor performance.
Harden’s 62 walks in 92.0 innings didn’t help, either.
But Billy Beane’s A’s give him another shot: either it’s as a reliever or a #5 starter. The #5 spot is still open, due to the fact that the team could not sign Japanese pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma this offseason, even after they had 30 days of exclusive negotiations.
Perhaps he’ll be a better pitcher as a reliever: using his fastball for 1 or 2 innings, and blow hitters away. It can also reduce his chance of injuries.
It will all be decided at spring training.
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