Red Sox obtain Harden from Oakland

July 30, 2011|By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff

By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff

CHICAGO — The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that the Red Sox are close to completing a trade for Oakland RHP Rich Harden, a talented starter with a long history of injury issues.

Lars Anderson, who was pulled from the Pawtucket game tonight, may be part of the deal.

More on this later on.

UPDATE, 10:47 p.m.: Terry Francona would not comment on the deal because it is not yet official. He was the bench coach in Oakland in 2003 and is familiar with Harden. Red Sox pitching coach Curt Young also worked when Harden when both were in Oakland.

It's a no-risk move for the Red Sox. Anderson is a middling prospect whose path to the majors was blocked by Adrian Gonzalez. Harden is far from a lock to help the team but he should be an upgrade over the likes of Andrew Miller.

It would not be a surprise if the Red Sox continued to make moves tomorrow. They could use a lefthanded reliever and certainly a rotation upgrade would be welcomed.