After taking a few minutes to digest the Oakland-Chicago deal that sends Rich Harden to Wrigley, it appears the A's could've gotten more. Harden was an American League Cy Young candidate, and the addition of 25-year-old middle reliever Chad Gaudin (who could end up a starter in the future) makes this a nice haul for the Cubs.
Chicago gives up three players who were good enough to get opportunities in the big leagues but unable to hold down spots on the 25-man Cubs roster. They also receive a catching prospect who was hitting .217 in Single-A.
Here are the key components Oakland took away:
Eric Patterson (OF) - Corey's little brother hasn't received nearly as much fanfare as big bro, but he also hasn't been rushed to the majors (he's already 25). That might help him down the road as he has the chance to ease into playing time at the highest level. His Triple-A stats this year: .320 avg., 6 HR, 28 RBI, 11 SB in 203 AB.
Sean Gallagher (P) - Likely the key to the deal on the Oakland side. Gallagher showed flahes of promise with the Cubs, but Chicago is erring on the experience side for the postseason in trading him away for Harden. They're also erring on the talent side, as Gallagher is no Harden, not yet anyway. In 10 starts with the Cubs he won three games, striking out 49 batters in 58.2 innings with an ERA of 4.45. Gallagher is not yet 23.
Matt Murton (OF) - Murton initially came to Chicago via Boston's farm system, and he's been nothing less than a productive hitter through the Chicago system. He couldn't, however, make the Cubs 25-man roster this year. It 870 MLB at bats, Murton's hit 28 home runs and posted a .294 average. He turns 27 in October.
There's some definite talent there, but you have to wonder if Oakland could've gotten top Cubs prospects Tyler Colvin or Donny Veal instead of Donaldson.
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