That's a great pick up for the Cubs. They did better than the Brewers. They'll keep Harden for more than 3 months.

At the same time, it's a shame for the A's, who are competing for the post-season, but can't afford to keep the stars. It's a sad fact in baseball that the low payroll teams don't want their good players to become too good. I saw it with the Expos when they had Vlad Guerrerro and many others.