Lieber still a Phillie

After the Freddy Garcia trade the Phillies gained more than a legitimate ace, they suddenly had a surplus of starting pitchers. Leaving the Phillies with Freddy Garcia, Brett Myers, Cole Hamels, Adam Eaton, and Jon Lieber, all legitimate starters. That pitching surplus combined with the Phillies need for a quality reliever seemed to be the perfect equation for trading Jon Lieber.

It appeared that trading Lieber would be easy for Pat Gillick. The market had become over inflated; peaking with the obscenely large 126 million dollar contract the San Francisco Giants gave Barry Zito. Jon Lieber, a dependable pitcher that eats up innings and who will make 7.5 million in 2007, became a valuable player in this market. Unfortunately the price also went up on quality relief pitchers and Pat Gillick has been wary to make a trade.

"If we can't get what we think is equal value, we'll go with six [starters in the regular season]," Gillick said. "We're not going to give somebody away."

Now Pat Gillick says he won’t move Lieber unless he gets the right offer. So the Phillies could start the season with six starting pitchers. In that scenario Charlie Manuel will have to send one starter to the bullpen. Lieber probably the least talented of the six will probably start. Gillick has commented in the past that Lieber doesn’t fit in the bullpen because his weak defense is a liability in the later innings and Garcia, Myers, Hamels, and Moyer have too much talent to pitch in relief. Adam Eaton has said the he is willing to be a “good soldier” and spend time in the Phillies bullpen.

There are a number of benefits to keeping Lieber through the beginning of the season. First Eaton will strengthen the Phillies bullpen. He will likely be used as a long reliever. If one of the other Phillies starters struggled then Eaton could come in and pitch five innings in a pinch. Keeping Lieber also provides great insurance for the Phillies starting rotation. If one of the Phillies starters gets injured then they have a dependable pitcher to go to instead of a AAA prospect. Finally the longer the Phillies keep Lieber the more his value increases. Every year at the trade deadline there is a team looking for a bona fide starting pitcher. Holding on to Lieber would put the Phillies in a good position to strengthen their roster down the stretch.

Sources:
Notes: Team roster likely set
By Ken Mandel / MLB.com

Time to step up for some Phillies
By Marcus Hayes / Philadelphia Inquirer

Gillick forecasts improved starting pitching
By Todd Zolecki / Philadelphia Inquirer

Picture of Jon Lieber from answers.com