The Harden Dilemma

As the A's have now taken their hot streak to winning 6 of their last 7 games, some A's fans found themselves looking for the proverbial arm pinch to keep them on earth. That came late last week with Rich Harden being put on the Disabled List, making this season feel a little bit more like home.

What do the A's do with Rich Harden? If you don't know, Rich Harden is the #2 starter for the A's. He's gifted with four great pitches: A century fastball, plus changeup, slider, and a splitter that is so erratic at the end it's basically unpredictable. Harden's downfall is that he's very easily injured due to his moderate frame and overexpense in his throwing motion. He's got the stuff to be amazing, but he just hasn't proven any longevity. The debate I'd like to explore here is whether or not to move Harden to the bullpen.

On one hand you have Rich Harden, the amazing pitcher who historically hasn't been able to handle starting. The obvious solution to a guy who has dominating stuff but can only do it for a few innings is to make them close. Mariano Rivera, Francisco Rodriguez, and Joe Nathan are all dominating pitchers that can't start. If the A's could even have Harden for a few innings a week as a lights out closer, that's obviously better than having him start 7-8 games a year in between disabled list visits.

On the other hand, you have what might be a lot of wasted talent. Most dominating closers can get by with one or two pitches. If Harden were to move to the bullpen, he would probably use is Fastball and Changeup in order to reduce the strain on his arm, since you don't need to rely on variety to get the same guys out three or four times a game. Harden has the stuff to strike guys out that many times since he has so many tools to go too in pressure situations. If somehow he could stay healthy, then he would be one of the more dominating pitchers in the league, if not Hall of Fame caliber. A top notch starter is more valuable than a top notch reliever, due to the longevity and reliability, not to mention in a loaded bullpen like the A's with a sketchy starting rotation.

The other added dimension is how he may be best marketable. I hate to talk about players in terms of commodities, but if the A's are continuing their youth movement, then Harden could fetch a lot of prospects. As a closer, he'd fetch probably a package similar to the Swisher deal. If he were a 30 start-pitcher, he'd get something better than Haren and Swisher put together. Beane has to think about how best to look to the future.

At what point does Beane stop the gamble? Harden has said he prefers starting to the bullpen, but the bullpen to the disabled list. I think we'd all like to see as much Harden as we can, even if that means two pitch-bullpen Harden. It's sad to see him have to hit the list so much and hear people scoff at him as a never-was, but A's fans like to hold on to that glimmer of hope that somewhere in that fragile frame we have the next Christy Mathewson.

There isn't a right answer to this question unfortunately, but I think that this is the last season Harden has to prove himself as a starter. The rebuilding plan probably won't be in full effect until at least next year, so he's got time to be marketable. Huston Street's contract is up this year, so if the A's can't sign him to a longer contract, they'll need an heir to his throne if they don't like anyone in the bullpen now. Harden could take next offseason to make the switch and still have half a season to be traded to another team if the A's want to make it so. This would be the Kerry Wood route, and we'll see for ourselves how this works with the Cubs. Otherwise he may end up a Mark Prior--ridiculous stuff, never a chance to show it.