Wolfmeyer: Harden deal the answer to Brewers’ shot

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CHICAGO – Milwaukee’s acquisition of CC Sabathia did not go unnoticed by the Cubs.

“They’re going for it,” third baseman Aramis Ramirez said. “They’re going for it this year.”

“They became a lot better,” pitcher Kerry Wood said.

“We completed a six-player trade with the Oakland A’s,” general manager Jim Hendry said.

On Tuesday, the Cubs answered Milwaukee’s shot, acquiring Oakland’s Rich Harden, the best front line starter left on the market, in a franchise-defining move.

It proved the Cubs are playing for today. Not tomorrow, today.

“It shows you that the Cubs are going to do everything in their power to help us get to where we want to go,” Cubs manager Lou Piniella said.

That is the World Series.

The goal simply isn’t to make the playoffs. Or win the division.

It’s to win a pennant.

(Actually, it’s to win it all, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves).

And to win said pennant, the Cubs had to look toward October, when more than likely, they’ll face one – or both – Milwaukee and Arizona.

Milwaukee has Sabathia and Ben Sheets. Two of the game’s best.

Arizona has Brandon Webb and Dan Haren. Two of the game’s best.

Before Tuesday, the Cubs had Carlos Zambrano and ...

Starter-turned-closer-turned-starter Ryan Dempster? He’s a solid three.

Ted Lilly? Do you remember Game 2 of last year’s NLDS?

Sean Marshall? Sean Gallagher? Jason Marquis?

Would you trust any of those guys against Sabathia and Sheets?

This move had October written all over it. The month when pitching trumps all.

And when on, there’s no one better than Harden.

“I faced Rich Harden ... when he’s on, you’re not hitting him,” Mark DeRosa said.

Mind you, this was said before the two became teammates.

So there was no reason for DeRosa to be untruthful.

Hendry wasn’t saying anything scouts haven’t already said, anyway.

“We felt this guy’s a legitimate high, high-end starter,” he said. “It’s not any secret that when he’s out there he’s about as good as it gets.

“When you talk about high-end starters, this is the guy you hope to have.”

The Cubs needed a high-end starter. An ace.

They got one Tuesday.

Sure, they got a Mark Prior-like injury risk, but why quibble?

As long as Harden’s healthy – and Hendry stressed that he is – he’s the guy.

A guy who is lights-out. A guy who many believe has the game’s best stuff.

A 26-year-old power pitcher who wins. And strikes people out.

He’s Prior – the healthier version.

And amazingly, for an elite, cheap pitcher under team control through the end of next season, the Cubs really didn’t give up that much.

In Matt Murton and Eric Patterson, they gave up two players who weren’t about to play, not with Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome and DeRosa in place.

In Josh Donaldson, they gave up a minor-league catcher.

Think he was going to Wally Pipp All-Star Geovany Soto anytime soon?

In 22-year-old Sean Gallagher, they gave up a potential front-line starter.

He’s the guy who could end up hurting.

“Gallagher, what a great young kid,” Hendry said. “I think he’s got a great future. It’s not going to be easy watching him three or four years from now winning a lot of games.

“Which he will.”

Yes, three or four years from now Gallagher could be great.

But he wasn’t going to help the Cubs this year.

Harden will. He’s going to be the guy, the front-line starter the Cubs were lacking.

He lessens the impact of the Sabathia deal. Renders it even.

Zambrano and a healthy Harden beat any other tandem in baseball.

Harden is going to help this year.

And this year is what it’s all about.

“We’ve got a pitcher here with really, really good stuff,” Piniella said. “We’ve got a top-of-the-rotation pitcher. And you’ve got to be pleased with that. I am.

“We gave up some kids for the present. But this makes us better.”

• Timothy Wolfmeyer covers Chicago baseball for the Northwest Herald. Reach him at twolfmeyer@nwherald.com, and read his blog, Payoff Pitch, at ChicagoBaseball365.com.