Thread: Phil Miller: Harden could've signed last year with Minnesota

Maybe I missed this, but according to Phil MIller, Harden could've signed with the Twins last year at this time, but knew he wanted shoulder surgery, so he turned them down:

Still, the Twins had inquired about Harden's plans, and he was intrigued. His wife, Kelsey, is from Bagley, Minn., about 25 miles west of Bemidji, and he had always pitched well in the cold. He visited famed surgeon Dr. James Andrews, fearing the worst.

Andrews, though, told him by reattaching the shoulder capsule, in effect "tightening" his shoulder, he could have a full recovery.

Harden was so excited, he scheduled the surgery within a day -- and told the Twins he was taking 2012 off.


Rob Antony, Twins assistant general manager, said he told Harden that he appreciated his integrity.


He "could have signed with us, come to spring training, and then said, 'Ahh, it's hurting again, I'm having surgery,' " Antony said. "Then we're on the hook for paying him and paying for the surgery and all the other stuff. He didn't do that. He said, "I just wanted to be healthy again.' "

It's a really interesting story, both about the pain Harden has handled and how the Twins and he found common ground. It makes me even more optimistic about him being part of the team. (And maybe even re-signing if he stays healthy.)

http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/192404651.html

a lot of players would have taken the money and ran... nice to see he's honest.

That's pretty classy... and go Northern Minnesota!!

Wow. That's some class.

Indeed.

Still sounds that he is some ways off. I would not be surprised if he needs EST and start with the Miracle for few weeks.

Originally Posted by diehardtwinsfan

a lot of players would have taken the money and ran... nice to see he's honest.

On the assumption the Twins either don't bother to give chronically injured guys medicals exams, or that they'd miss a huge shoulder injury when they did perform one?

So, basically the article is telling us this:

Rich Harden >>>>>>>>> Joel Zumaya

Originally Posted by Brock Beauchamp

So, basically the article is telling us this:

Rich Harden >>>>>>>>> Joel Zumaya

I'm fairly certain his UCL was in tact before signing, unless he simply duct taped it together to fool the Twins' medical staff.

Originally Posted by FrodaddyG

On the assumption the Twins either don't bother to give chronically injured guys medicals exams, or that they'd miss a huge shoulder injury when they did perform one?

This is the Twins medical staff we are talking about... he had the whole offseason to rest and rehab.