http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribu ... oulde.html
Rich Harden will see a shoulder specialist before the Cubs have to make a decision Wednesday on his $7 million option.
General manager Jim Hendry said Harden would be examined Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday. He received a cortisone shot in the is right shoulder in early September and his velocity dropped after a 10-9-pitch outing against Washington on Aug. 24, when Harden was still throwing in the 95-96 m.p.h. range in the seventh inning, when he struck out the side to finish with 11 strikeouts.
One advance scout told Toronto's Globe and Mail newspaper that he believed Harden had elbow or shoulder problems: "I've had him consistently down at least five miles per hour from what he used to throw. There's something in there [his arm.]"
The Cubs began spacing out his starts following his next outing, resulting in only two regular season starts after Sept. 11th, including a five-inning, 115-pitch start against Milwaukee on Sept. 18th. If Harden has to undergo some arthroscopic surgery to clean out the shoulder, he could return by early May.
If the Cubs knew he'd be ready by then, they'd likely pick up the option. In a more unlikely scenario, they could also decline the option and make Harden arbitration-eligible, in which case he could make even more than $7 million, based on his career numbers (41-20, 3.23 earned-run average) and today's inflated salaries for starting pitchers.
Either way, Harden is the Cubs property in '09.
