Rich Harden

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Who gets Rich Harden?

Read an article below from seattletimes.nwsource.com:

Throughout the week here, the Mariners made it clear that a prime focus was on pitching and that Rich Harden was a target. But as we've discussed at length on this blog, simply having a target -- even one that makes sense and seems the perfect fit -- is no guarantee a team will come away with the prize. Even though the Mariners had extensive talks with Harden's side and went in-depth on the parameters of a potential deal.

In the end, we're told there were certain clauses the Harden camp wanted included in any deal that the Mariners side was not entirely comfortable with.

Did the Texas Rangers meet those demands? We don't know for certain yet. But the Rangers did indeed get their man, agreeing to a one-year, $7.5 million deal with Harden, followed by what's been reported as a club option worth $11.5 million. Now, if it's purely a club option, then that latter figure isn't such a big deal.

But we've yet to hear what the buyout would be on that. Or whether there are any additional incentives in the 2010 part of the deal that could take the $7.5 million well beyond that amount. On the surface, this contract does not seem all that unreasonable if it's just the guaranteed money and a club option with a nominal buyout.

If there is indeed more to this than has been reported, it might go a long way in explaining how the M's did not get this deal done after investing so much time and effort in it.