Rangers Could get Rich Harden

Written on 4:18 PM by Admin

Rich Harden Close To Signing With Rangers

The Texas Rangers are closing in on a deal with right-handed pitcher Rich Harden, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney on Wednesday.

To create financial flexibility that could make signing Harden easier, the Rangers are on the verge of trading starter Kevin Millwood to the Orioles for reliever Chris Ray, ESPNDallas.com reported.

Harden was 9-9 with a 4.09 ERA in 26 games for the Cubs in 2009. The Cubs did not offer Harden salary arbitration, making him a free agent. Harden made $7 million last season in Chicago.

Harden, who would pitching for his third major league team, has a 50-29 record with a 3.39 ERA in 127 starts.

5:10pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says Harden is close to signing with the Rangers.

4:46pm: Drayer tweets herself and says it's the Rangers and not Mariners on Harden - maybe a mistake tweet earlier.

4:34pm: But wait! ESPN Radio's Shannon Drayer says the Mariners are close on Harden.

4:24pm: Harden is close to signing with the Rangers, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. NBC Sports' Craig Calcaterra had it first on Twitter, and says it's for $7.5MM with an $11.5MM option for 2011. As Evan Grant wrote earlier, Harden and Chris Ray would be risky but an upgrade on Kevin Millwood.

3:46pm: ESPN's Buster Olney has heard that Rich Harden is on the verge of an agreement with an unknown team. Olney notes that Harden has been heavily involved in negotiations with the Mariners, so that's one possibility. Indeed, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that Harden is in talks with the Mariners.