The Red Sox nearly dealt for A's starter Rich Harden just before the trade deadline. (AP)

According to MLB Network and NESN analyst Peter Gammons (via twitter), right-hander Rich Harden underwent season-ending surgery to repair his right shoulder. Gammons tweeted: After 5 years of ‘always being hurt’ with a torn capsule, Rich Harden last week had surgery, aiming to come back in 2013–healthy. Finally.

The development offered a reminder of the trade to which the Red Sox and Athletics agreed on July 30 (one day before last year’s trade deadline) only to have the Sox call off the deal upon reviewing Harden’s medical records. The deal would have sent Harden to the Sox for first baseman Lars Anderson and a player to be named (both Raul Alcantara and Brandon Workman were on a list of players from which the A’s could select a player).

Harden, who turned 30 following the season, was 2-1 with a 4.30 ERA, 30 strikeouts and 10 walks in 29 1/3 innings at the time of the almost-trade. Though the Sox thought that he was unlikely to make more than a handful of starts down the stretch, Harden remained healthy enough to make 10 starts over the final two months of the season, albeit with mixed results. He struck out an impressive 61 batters (and walked 21) in 53 1/3 innings, but went just 2-3 with a 5.57 ERA while averaging 5 1/3 innings per start.

Erik Bedard, the pitcher whom the Sox ended up adding after missing out on Harden, struggled with injury issues of his own with the Sox. The left-hander made eight starts and pitched just 38 innings, going 1-2 with a 4.03 ERA while striking out 38 and walking 18.

While the Red Sox have remained open to the idea of adding depth to their rotation, according to a major league source, the team had not explored the possibility of signing Harden this offseason.

The Red Sox nearly dealt for A's starter Rich Harden just before the trade deadline. (AP)

According to multiple major league sources, Red Sox pitching prospects Raul Alcantara and Brandon Workman were among the players on a list from which the A’s would choose a player to be named in the deal that would have brought starter Rich Harden to Boston just before the July 31 trade deadline.

The Sox and A’s agreed to a deal that would have brought Harden to the Sox in exchange for first baseman Lars Anderson – formerly the top Red Sox prospect, but now a player whose path to the majors in Boston has been blocked by the presence of Adrian Gonzalez — and a player to be named. The player to be named would have come from a list presented to the A’s that featured players in the lower minors who represented lottery tickets with potentially significant upside.

That description fits Alcantara particularly well. The 18-year-old, whom the Sox signed out of the Dominican for $500,000 in 2009, is a hard thrower who dominated the Rookie Level Gulf Coast League (0.75 ERA, 36 strikeouts, 6 walks) this year before a promotion to Lowell, where he struggled (6.23 ERA in four starts) against much older competition. Alcantara is regarded as one of the more projectable young pitchers in the Sox’ system.

Workman, meanwhile, was a second-round pick out of the University of Texas in 2010 who signed for an $800,000 bonus. He spent all of 2011 in Single-A Greenville, going 6-7 with a 3.71 ERA, 115 strikeouts and 33 walks in 131 innings.

The deal for Harden collapsed when the Sox reviewed the pitcher’s medicals and became convinced that he would not be able to remain healthy down the stretch. To date, Harden has defied the Sox’ expectations, making eight starts since the trade deadline, going 2-2 with a 5.08 ERA, 53 strikeouts and 19 walks in 44 1/3 innings. The A’s did give him three extra days of rest prior to his most recent start on Sept. 14, but otherwise, he has managed to take his regular turn over the last six-plus weeks.

Rich Harden

Like everyone else, Rich Harden thought he was coming to Boston. Word had filtered out on the night of July 30 while the A’s were playing Cleveland, and he was already starting to receive goodbyes and text messages. A little while later, he wasn’t.

“It was pretty crazy,” Harden said before the A’s took on the Red Sox on Friday night. “I came [into the clubhouse] during the game to do some stuff and I’ve got everybody telling me I’ve been traded and shaking my hand. It was strange.”

But Harden talked to Oakland GM Billy Beane, who told him that nothing was done yet, and in fact, it wasn’t. The Red Sox were reportedly concerned enough about Harden’s medical reports to have second thoughts and so the deal that would have sent him to Boston in exchange for minor league first baseman Lars Anderson and a player to be named later was off the table.

Harden said it was unfortunate that things got out before the deal was done, but that he had no hard feelings toward the Red Sox.

“Not at all,” he said. “It’s part of the game.”

Nor would it stop him form considering Boston as a potential free agent destination after the season. Harden also understands that teams will always have questions about his medical history after 10 separate trips to the disabled list during his nine-year career.

“That’s something that’s always been an issue and I think it always will be,” Harden said. “That question is always going to come up and all I can do is go out there and try to pitch well every time out and prepare myself.”

He did allow, however, that the thought of pitching for Boston was intriguing.

“If it did go through it would have been exciting to pitch over here on a team such as the Red Sox,” he said. “But I’m still happy where I’m at, pitching for the A’s.”

Since returning from the DL on July 1 with a strained back muscle, Harden has made all 10 of his starts with a 4.55 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 57 1/3 innings pitched. He’s had moments of brilliance, like when he struck out 11 and held the Blue Jays to two hits over seven shutout innings. He’s also had a few clunkers, like his Friday outing against the Yankees when he was touched for six runs in 4 1/3 innings.

An inevitable comparison will be made between Harden’s late-season performance and that of Erik Bedard, whom the Sox acquired after the Harden deal fell through. In four starts for Boston, Bedard is 0-2 with a 4.09 ERA, but he’s also struck out 21 batters in 22 innings and walked only five. Harden has made five starts since the trade went through and has a 4.81 ERA in 28 innings, while recording 36 strikeouts.

According to a scout who’s been following the A’s, Harden has been starting games slowly with a fastball in the mid- to high-80s — raising initial questions about how healthy he is — only to dial up to mid-90s velocity by around his 20th pitch. The scout added that Harden has been leaning heavily on an excellent split-fingered fastball that has been a legitimate swing-and-miss pitch.

We’ll never know, of course, how Harden would have done in Boston, but it seems clear that the process — while unusual — didn’t leave him with any ill will.

Hiroki Kuroda

It’s only been two weeks since the non-waiver trade deadline came and went, but, still, the curiosity surrounding some of the players that were at least being mentioned as potentially heading to the Red Sox still lingers. So, with that in mind, we help feed the beast. A look at what some of those familiar names have done over the past two weeks:

HIROKI KURODA

The right-hander was on the Red Sox’ radar, up until he let it be known that he would not be waiving his no-trade clause to go anywhere. According to a source, Kuroda was not approached with any potential deal before making his decision, but the Sox clearly had been zeroing in on the 36-year-old up until the final days of the deadline.

In the past two weeks, Kuroda has made three starts, totaling a 1.33 ERA while going 2-1. He has struck out 18 while walking four over 20 1/3 innings.

UBALDO JIMENEZ

The Red Sox made a strong push for Jimenez the Friday before the deadline, with the Rockies countering later in the day. According to FoxSports.com, Colorado asked for a five-player package from the Red Sox (that may have brought Boston another player), which included Ryan Lavarnway, Felix Doubront, Kyle Weiland, Will Middlebrooks and Josh Reddick. The Indians ultimately won out in the chase for the 27-year-old, sending a package to Colorado centered around prime pitching prospect Drew Pomeranz.

Ubaldo Jimenez

Jimenez, who was eased into the Indians starting rotation after the pitcher’s chaotic path to Cleveland, has made two starts for Cleveland, totlaing a 3.46 ERA in 13 innings, striking out 13 and walking four. His most recent start was solid, allowing three runs (none earned) over eight innings against Detroit in a win.

RICH HARDEN

Harden was on his way to the Red Sox until the team’s medical staff found some red flags that led to an alteration of the deal which Oakland wasn’t ready to accept. After not clearing the pitcher medically, the Sox attempted to offer the A’s just Lars Anderson instead of the first baseman and a player to be named later. Oakland chose to hang on to Harden.

In three starts with the A’s, the righty has posted a 4.86 ERA over 16 2/3 innings, striking out 19 and walking 10 while going 1-2. After turning in a 5 2/3 innings, four-run outing against Seattle immediately after the deadline, Harden pitched a seven-inning gem against Toronto in which he gave up just one run while striking out eight and walking two. But his most recent start offered a step in the wrong direction, with the hurler allowing four runs in four innings in a 98-pitch appearance that included five walks.

REED JOHNSON

The Red Sox had shown some interest in the Cubs outfielder, but when Johnson experienced some back problems leading up to the deadline the pursuit cooled off. Evidently, the injury wasn’t a concern for Johnson, who has hit .483 (14-for-29) with a 1.171 OPS since the beginning of the month, including going 5-for-10 against left-handers.

RYAN LUDWICK

Another outfielder who was on the Red Sox’ radar as a potential threat against left-handed pitching was Ludwick. The price ended up being too high for the Sox, who lost out on the 33-year-old to the Pirates for a player to be named later and cash. Ludwick hasn’t done much for Pittsburgh to date, hitting .256 with an .652 OPS, having also gone 1-for-9 against left-handed pitching.

MIKE ADAMS

The price for Adams was also deemed too high for the Red Sox, as Texas swooped in and dealt for the coveted set-up man right before the deadline. Thus far for the Rangers he has done the job, allowing just one run over his eight, one-inning appearances.

Jayson Stark

ESPN baseball insider Jayson Stark joined the Mut & Merloni show Wednesday afternoon to discuss the Red Sox and the trading deadline. To hear the interview, go to the Mut & Merloni audio on demand page.

The Red Sox landed pitcher Erik Bedard from the Mariners in a last-minute deal Sunday, as part of a three-team trade also involving the Dodgers. The Red Sox were also rumored to have a deal in place for Athletics pitcher Rich Harden Saturday night, but that did not go through because of concerns regarding Harden’s heath.

Stark explained why the Sox appeared to be more interested Harden than Bedard.

“I think there have always been worries about the fit for Erik Bedard and his personality in a town like Boston, I think that was part of it,” Stark said. “The other part of it was they matched up better with Oakland than they did with Seattle. I mean, the Seattle deal ended up being very complicated, [Seattle] wanted two players back, and one of them to be a big league-ready outfielder/position player, and the Red Sox really didn’t have that guy to trade. They had very little time to put that deal together. I am told they didn’t have a match until the Dodgers stepped in.”

Stark went on to say that maybe Bedard was the Red Sox’ only option to add a starting pitcher and that is why they traded for the injury-plagued pitcher. Bedard has only pitched in one game since June after going on the disabled list because of a sprained knee.

“He hasn’t thrown a pitch in August or September in any season since 2007,” Stark said. “When he goes out there, other than the debacle the other night, he is usually pretty good. How often is he going to go out there? I don’t think that is a question anyone can answer. Given the fact that the Red Sox had virtually no options at 1 o’clock Sunday afternoon, he was the best they could do.”

Added Stark: “Anything can linger with Erik Bedard. There have been so many issues and they tend to linger. The Mariners really took their time with this one. From what I heard, he probably could have pitched a week or 10 days earlier than he did. They wanted to wait ’til they got off the road and pitched him in Seattle where he is comfortable, and put him the best possible environment and a pitcher’s park. … You have to see him for what he was. There was a market where there were almost no options and he was the last option standing.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Lars Anderson

For a brief spell on Saturday night, Lars Anderson thought that a remarkable opportunity had opened up for him. The Red Sox and A’s had agreed to a deal (pending a review of medicals and a physical) that would send pitcher Rich Harden to the Red Sox in exchange for the Triple-A first baseman as well as a player to be named. Anderson was pulled in the seventh inning of Pawtucket’s game on Saturday night, and became aware that he was penciled in for a trip to the Bay Area from which he hails.

For the 23-year-old, the prospect was understandably tantalizing. There is no clear path to the majors for him in Boston, given that Adrian Gonzalez will be handling first base for the Sox through 2018. Oakland would have represented not only a big league opportunity, but also a chance to go home, since Anderson grew up in Sacramento (home of the A’s Triple-A affiliate) while rooting for the A’s. With his father, George Anderson, in Pawtucket on Saturday, Lars Anderson told the Providence Journal that there was enthusiasm for the idea of the change.

“There’s more of an opportunity to be in the big leagues there than here obviously at my position,” Anderson said of Oakland. “It was an exciting personal prospect for my own career. Like I said, it’s all fantasy. … Probably got too far ahead of myself as far as the daydreaming goes. It was crazy.”

Rich Harden

CHICAGO — For much of Saturday evening, it seemed appropriate to start penciling Rich Harden into the Red Sox rotation. Numerous outlets, including WEEI.com, characterized the deal sending Rich Harden to the Red Sox for first base prospect Lars Anderson and a player to be named as all but done pending a physical.

However, late on Saturday night, the situation shifted abruptly.

Harden told reporters in Oakland that he was informed by A’s GM Billy Beane that a deal would not be made, and that Harden will make his next scheduled start for the A’s on Tuesday. A major league source confirmed that assessment, and it now appears unlikely that Harden will be shipping up to Boston. Indeed, the major league source suggested that the Sox are “not counting on” the deal getting done at all.

A review of medicals after an agreement on the parameters of the deal, according to a baseball source, led to uncertainty about what kind of contribution the Red Sox could expect from Harden down the stretch, and whether he would be able to make enough starts to justify the trade. Harden, who has been on the disabled list 10 times in his career — including for the first three months of this year due to a muscle strain under his right arm — is 2-1 with a 4.30 ERA in five starts this year.