Chicago Cubs: Revisiting the infamous Josh Donaldson trade

Chicago Cubs: The other pieces and the fallout

It is easy to see Harden in his form at the time and forget about the rest of the players involved. Gaudin was the other guy who came to Chicago along with Harden, and it is straightforward to understand why nobody wants to talk about him.

Gaudin threw only 27 1/3 innings over the remainder of the 2008 season, finishing with a disgusting 6.26 ERA. It was his only work in Chicago before ultimately landing in San Diego the following year.

Murton had found some success early on in his Cubs career but would fizzle out of the league a couple of years after the trade to Oakland. Gallagher never amounted to much in his career either and was out of the league by 2010.

Donaldson, meanwhile, would go on to become one of the most vaunted hitters in the league, a three-time All-Star with the Athletics, and sign a $100 million this past offseason with the Minnesota Twins. Hindsight is always 20/20, and at the time, it was the right move. Arguing about the fallout is easy, but it will undoubtedly go down as one of the most “what if” trades in Cubs history.