Do as I Say, Not as I Do: Please Trade Rich Harden

On Sunday night, for the first time in the history (which spans multiple decades, and I'm only 26) of my fantasy playing, I traded for Rich Harden. I feel like I got a good deal, and he came with Felix Hernandez, but it occurred to me yesterday morning that, "Holy Crap. I just traded for a season-long red cross."

Yes, I am slow on the uptake.

The point though, is not to tell you to trade for him. Quite the opposite, in fact. The point is, that if I, as a skeptic of Harden the fantasy player, am willing to allow him to become part of a deal, then he has sufficiently reached some sort of level where there is a chance the general public thinks he might stay healthy.

And right now, you can get some good value back for him too.

For instance, Aaron Harang has stunk the joint up so far this year. It's pretty likely his owner wants to move him. Would a straight up Harang for Harden trade work? Most certainly; you could even possibly (likely?) persuade the other owner into sweetening the deal because of Harang's struggles. Harang is rocking a high BABIP and a heavier reliance on his slider. Additionally, he's allowing tons of line drives and far fewer ground balls as of right now.

The principle of this trade remains simple: regardless of how much Harang turns around his season, it will be better than the time that Harden spends on the disabled list.

Other options are available too. Dustin McGowan and C.C. Sabathia looked like great buy lows until their recent complete game shutouts, but another bad outing and a strong one by Harden could make something like that happen quickly.

Regardless, right now you can target pitchers that are down on their luck by using Harden as bait. If you believe -- bear in mind, you really shouldn't -- and enjoy risk, then hold onto him. But the smart move is to get something in return before it's too late. Because after all, he's an ace. When he's healthy.