FanHouse Oakland

As Watson noted earlier, there has been a fairly decent seismic shift in the National League Arms Race, what with the Cubs acquiring Rich Harden only 24 hours after the Brewers picked up CC Sabathia. And just like it affects real baseball, the trade does some things for fantasy owners as well. So, why not look at the four biggest names in the trade?

Rich Harden, SP -- I've said it once, and I'll say it again: sell high on Harden. Billy Beane rarely gets suckered and this deal kind of looks like one of those times, no? Which makes me think "ruh-roh" with regard to Harden's health. Especially when you remember that during his last start in an Oakland uni, he was barely topping 90 mph. But his move to one of the most offensively potent teams and a World Series contender should boost his value in theory, making him a prime sell.

So the face of your franchise and your most beloved player, Baron Davis, skipped town. And your top replacement target, Gilbert Arenas, re-signed with his club. And the next big target on your radar just spurned you and hopped over to the East for more money. So who do you turn to, after inking an aging small forward for a bit of cash while you try and convince Monta Ellis to stick around?

You sign Ronny Turiaf, of course!

The Warriors have come to a verbal agreement with Lakers restricted free agent Ronny Turiaf on a four year deal worth an estimated $17 million. As he is a restricted free agent, the Lakers have seven days to match the Warriors offer.

It's an interesting signing, because if the Warriors are able to pry him away from the purple and gold, he provides a number of things they lack. Along with Corey Maggette, Turiaf represents a greater commitment to defense. In addition, Turiaf can actually rebound, which the Warriors failed miserably at last season. He does make sense with their system though, as he's a high energy guy who can come in and play a few minutes or more, and is extremely flexible and provides a spark. He's also a fan favorite that would fit in with the Warriors scrappy image. That is if the fans haven't all thrown themselves off a bridge after Baron left.

When I first found out yesterday that the Oakland Athletics had traded Rich Harden to the Cubs, my first reaction was "Why?" I didn't even know who Oakland had gotten in return from the Cubs, and already the deal didn't make that much sense to me. Then I heard who the A's got, and the deal made even less sense to me.

Don't get me wrong, I think Matt Murton has the potential to flourish in Oakland as he's finally found an organization that can appreciate what he's capable of (Matt has struggled this season, but does still have a career OPS of .810 without ever getting regular playing time), and Sean Gallagher could end up being a very effective pitcher for the Athletics. Eric Patterson is probably just an insurance plan should Mark Ellis not re-sign with the team after the season, as the A's are pretty thin at second base in the minors, and I don't know anything about John Donaldson.

But why now, Billy Beane? Why pull the trigger on this deal when your team is only five games out of first place in the AL West, and only 3.5 behind Boston for the wild card? There is no way that Beane can honestly think his team has a better shot at making the playoffs this season without Rich Harden.

Yet, while on the surface this deal makes absolutely no sense to me, I also realize that Beane knows what he's doing and I want to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he's just tired of being held hostage by Harden's injury history and is tired of having to build a team around a pitcher who may or may not be available at any given time. If you look at Beane's history of letting his pitchers go, he seems to have great timing, as Mark Mulder and Barry Zito have never been the same since leaving the bay area.

It's still way too early to tell if this was a mistake or not, but I have to say, at the moment I don't think this was one of Beane's finest moment.

After being left at the alter by both Baron Davis and Elton Brand, the Warriors finally found someone willing to take their money: Corey Maggette. According to the Los Angeles Daily News, Maggette agreed to a five-year, $50 million deal immediately after the Warriors learned that Brand had committed to the 76ers. Interestingly enough, he apparently jumped on the offer before giving the Clippers, who were also spurned by Brand, a chance to retain him.

Until this opening with Golden State, it looked like Maggette's best options involved taking the mid-level exception from one of the handful of interested contenders pursuing him, including the Spurs, Celtics, Pistons and Magic. He'll make a lot more money with the Warriors, but he'll also win a lot fewer games -- instead of battling for a title, he'll be in a fight to simply make the playoffs.

That said, it's not fair to say this simply came down to money, as the Warriors were also able to offer a lot more playing time than anyone else. With those other contenders, Maggette would have been a fourth or fifth option in the starting lineup -- if not relegated to the role of a super sub. But with the Warriors, Maggette has a chance to be "The Man," especially with Monta Ellis almost certainly taking on more of a distributor role in Davis' absence.

Not everyone thinks Maggette is up for being a team's No. 1 option, but it's hard to argue with his production or the fact that he's a perfect fit for Nellieball. He's uber-athletic and can shoot from long-distance, and while his defense is underrated, he won't be asked to play much under Don Nelson anyway. The Warriors still need a legitimate big man, but the Warriors could have done a lot worse than snagging Maggette.

For much of the last week, most basketball fans assumed that Elton Brand was either going to a) re-sign with the Clippers; or b) grab the pile of money that Baron Davis left behind with the Warriors. Instead, he surprised everyone by choosing c) none of the above, leaving behind the Western Conference entirely in favor of the 76ers. From the Los Angeles Times:

Elton Brand has reached a verbal agreement to sign a multiyear contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, according to an NBA source who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak on player movements.

The deal is believed to be in the $80-million range and expected to span five years.

Okay, this wasn't a complete surprise -- there were rumblings last night that this might be a possibility, and Philly's salary dump of a trade earlier today was obviously setting up a larger move -- but it has to feel like a kick in the ribs to Clippers fans dreaming of Brand and B.Dizzle leading the Clips back to the playoffs.

Until the last 48 hours or so, the Sixers were believed to be focusing most of their interest on Hawks restricted free agent Josh Smith, but the addition of Brand, who's much more polished offensively, and the expected return of Andre Iguodala, who's a restricted free agent himself, makes the 76ers instant contenders in the East with an intriguing core of youth and experience. This is a team that gave the Pistons fits in the first round this past year even without a legitimate low-post scoring threat. If Brand regains his All-Star form and Philly's youngsters continue to develop, there's no telling what kind of damage they can do in 2007-08.

As Watson noted earlier, there has been a fairly decent seismic shift in the National League Arms Race, what with the Cubs acquiring Rich Harden only 24 hours after the Brewers picked up CC Sabathia. And just like it affects real baseball, the trade does some things for fantasy owners as well. So, why not look at the four biggest names in the trade?

Rich Harden, SP -- I've said it once, and I'll say it again: sell high on Harden. Billy Beane rarely gets suckered and this deal kind of looks like one of those times, no? Which makes me think "ruh-roh" with regard to Harden's health. Especially when you remember that during his next to last start in an Oakland uni, he was barely topping 90 mph. But his move to one of the most offensively potent teams and a World Series contender should boost his value in theory, making him a prime sell.

Just days after the Brewers made a splash by trading for CC Sabathia, the Cubs countered by acquiring an ace of their own, picking up Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin from the A's in exchange for Sean Gallagher, Eric Patterson, Matt Murton, minor leaguer Josh Donaldson and ... wait, that's it? Whoa. Advantage: Cubs.

Harden is obviously a huge injury risk, but no one can dispute that he's one of the most dominant pitchers in the game when healthy. In 13 starts he's been one of the best in the AL this year, posting a 2.34 ERA (1.14 WHIP) while averaging better than 10.7 strikeouts per nine.

And while Gaudin is clearly an afterthought, he's not all that bad himself, capable of eating innings from the bullpen or starting rotation.

What did it cost Chicago? Some intriguing prospects, sure, but absolutely nothing in terms of players capable of helping the Cubs win today.

Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News has been wearing out his keyboard this free agent season already, and today he comes with another piece peering into the decision-making of Chris Mullin and the Golden State Warriors.

[E]ven if the Warriors played this strategically and not frugally, even if they purposely wanted to get to this point of vast promise and uncertainty ... they've placed themselves in a terribly vulnerable position, no matter what. Things could work out. They could land Elton Brand or trade into a big-time player or wait it out and land somebody incredible in a summer or two. [...]

But a lot of this isn't in their control. Almost all of it. In the NBA, you want to have some sort of control with your own players–either you keep them or you trade them for more talent–and that has not and will not be happening with the Warriors this summer, unless all breaks perfectly for them.

Last summer, we made a big deal of Golden State's plans to get to a basically clean slate (salary-wise) this summer. Mullin set things up to be full of options -- do you pay both Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins? Do you move Baron Davis or extend him? Do you give it another shot to this nucleus or turn young?

But no one seemed to see this coming, the scenario in which Mullin's power (power of the dollar) gets jacked by a bold Baron decision and a wacky flux of free agent maneuvering by the Clippers and 76ers. It isn't to say Golden State is doomed -- Ellis, Biedrins and cap space are still chillin' in the cut, so to speak. But the Mighty Sword of Options has been parried, and there looks to be a real chance of the Warriors getting leftovers.

Oakland Athletics pitcher Justin Duchscherer had always been a valuable player for the A's coming out of the bullpen, even making the All Star team in 2005 as it's lone representative, but now that he's made the transition to starting he'd like to cash in on some of that value. Justin leads all of baseball with his 1.96 ERA, and his pitching this season is a big reason why the A's are so successful this season.

So, if you're reading, Billy Beane, your boy would like to talk new contract.

"I mentioned to my agent (Dan Horwits) that I'd like him to talk to Billy," Duchscherer said. "I like it in Oakland. I'd like to stay here. It's not up to me, but I would like to get three years."

It's hard to blame Duchscherer for wanting a new deal at this point. He's 30 years old now, and has been playing professional baseball since he was 18 and he's never had a contract longer than a year. I'm sure some security would be nice for him.

Justin also pointed out that 16-year old Michael Inoa--recently signed by Oakland--has already made more money in his signing bonus than Justin has in his entire career. Beane has been told of Duchscherer's desire to talk deal, and said that if he continues to pitch like he has so far then "it's probably something we could pursue."

Elton Brand has a generous offer on the table to stay with the Clippers, and an even larger offer on the table to bolt for the Warriors. But while most of the discussion surrounding his options has centered on those two teams, it's at least possible that he might bolt California completely and head back east.

That's crazy talk, right? Probably, but according to ESPN's Marc Stein, the 76ers have officially thrown their hat in the ring. It's true the Sixers have been connected to restricted free agent Josh Smith since the offseason began, but the team wants to do it's due diligence by gauging Brand's interest before tying up their finances by signing Smith to an offer sheet and waiting seven days while the Hawks decide if they're going to match it or not.

I can't say I'm completely surprised -- Smith has all the potential in the world, but Brand is a proven product and (when healthy) one of the most consistent big men in the game today. Smith would make the Sixers a joy to watch; Brand would get the Sixers out of the first round.