Chicago ? One day after the Milwaukee Brewers landed an ace, the Chicago Cubs answered.

Intent on ending their 100-year drought without a World Series title, the NL Central leaders acquired talented right-hander Rich Harden in a six-player deal with the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday.

With CC Sabathia going to Milwaukee, Harden was the best available pitcher, Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said.

“We felt that the two high-end guys who would possibly be available were the two that have already been traded. Those are legit one and two starters. So we tried to focus on trying to acquire one,” Hendry said.

“It certainly wasn’t a reaction move. We would have gladly had Rich two or three weeks ago.”

The Cubs began play Tuesday 31â2 games ahead of the Cardinals and four in front of the Brewers in the NL Central.

The Cubs now can match Milwaukee’s 1-2 combination of Sabathia and Ben Sheets with All-Star Carlos Zambrano and Harden.

Athletics general manager Billy Beane said trading Harden doesn’t mean his team is in selling mode. Oakland began the day six games behind the first-place Los Angeles Angels in the AL West and 31â2 behind the Boston Red Sox in the wild-card race.

Chicago also received right-hander Chad Gaudin, who pitched previously for Cubs manager Lou Piniella in Tampa Bay, and sent promising right-hander Sean Gallagher, outfielders Matt Murton and Eric Patterson and minor-leaguer Josh Donaldson to the A’s.

Harden, eligible to be a free agent after the 2009 season, is 5-1 with a 2.34 earned-run average in 13 starts this season. He’s scheduled to make $4.75 million this season. The oft-injured Harden missed a month earlier this season because of a right shoulder strain. It was his sixth trip to the disabled list in his six-year career.