I've been AWOL the past week or so, but my impression was that Lieber was having an ok spring and had pretty much sewed up a spot. Where did you hear this?

and it increases the Cubs leverage in trade negotiations marginally. Don't panic.

I like Lieber over both Marquis and Dempster. Someone is going to be traded this week, right?

That's disappointing, Marquis falls apart in the 6th inning 80% of the time, and the other 20% he's done by the end of the 7th. If there was a trade imminent, I think Lou would have put Marquis into the pen.

I still think that Leiber is gonna end up in the rotation eventually.

All 3 pitchers had a good spring. Only Lieber said that he would have no problem going to the pen. Marquis publicly said it was the rotation or trade me. Dempster wanted out of the pen last year and was promised a shot at the rotation this year. So that leaves Lieber as the odd man out and since he has said he didn't mind going to the pen, there he is.

Also, having Lieber in the pen gives the Cubs some insurance if (or is that when) one of these two falter and need to be replaced in the rotation.

Kasey

Other teams probably low-balled the Cubs with this known quantity and Hendry said NO DEAL....leaves Lieber in the pen to wait out the eventual moves.

I have a wishful hunch that Marquis will be dealt on the final weekend of this month in a flurry of activity.

Agreed kaseyi. But we have all witnessed Lieber pitch better than the other two. The others have been hit hard even when its not resulted in earned runs. Straight garbage I tell ya!

Isn't Lieber the only one in the competition who didn't have a game where they were rocked this Spring? Dumpster should be in the pen. It will be the same as when he closed: he either misses his spots and walks the batter or gives up the longball (especially in Wrigley).

it would seem like we would want our BEST starters in the rotation so we don't start the year like we did last year. If we didn't start so poorly last year then we would have coasted last year. I know Marquis will be gone if they are smart but when does Ryan Dempster start making decisions about where he wants to pitch. Lieber should be there just for the fact that his attitude is willing to help the team wherever they need it.

Can you have quality starting pitching excess in both the bullpen and minors, and we not be happy.

It's a long season everybody. These things always work themselves out.

Im buying Marquis i wouldnt be as upset if it was marquis, lieber in rotation and dempster back to pen or cut he is a waste

but these are just Spring Training numbers.

The last 2 years Lieber was 12 - 17 ERA 4.87and Marquis was 26 - 25 ERA 5.31.

Bashing Marquis and praising Lieber doesn't make one better than the other. If Marquis pitches well during the first 2 months of the season and the Cubs do trade him to allow Lieber a shot will you guys applaud the move or rip management for trading a hot pitcher.

zambrano, lilly, dempster, hill, marquis? I dont really like it but I think one of the two of dempster or marquis will be traded by may

Good solid reasons have already been mentioned by Kaseyi for this turn of events if it is finalized.

If there's a head case in the trio, it will be Marquis. Both Dempster and Lieber have the journeymen's mentality that is the needed mindset for a bullpen's stability (just like a certain guy named Kerry Wood) during the exceptionally fluid times like the early part of a season. Marquis' pitching, as has been observed, is pretty erratic. Dempster's is equally heart stopping with his ups and downs also, but he's achieved what Jason has yet to incline to - an imperfect yet proven ability to get into a groove and maintain a reasonable expectation that he'll get his pitches set and executed and the last guys out.

Lieber's still coming back from a serious downtime, but as I said in previous posts, IF scouting showed he had his stuff, IF he'd rehabbed well, and IF he had reasonable run support, he was worth the acquisition. Then the Cubs went out and got Lieber. It seems his second coming is going to offer to the bullpen an enviable position that we DIDN'T have two years ago when all of triple AAA had to come up to run the bullpen and what we barely had last year .. and that is some decent DEPTH for a change. I think that Cubs pitching will be the most dominant in the division and that we can go head to head with any team in the NL on this.

IF there is a breakdown in the rotation, I think it will be Marquis. He's got a hole he's dug himself into and I don't know how well he'll do to get out of it. Physically, he may be a hoss but his team issue is an unknown quantity. Then again, Lieber's still rebuilding after surgery. He can play, but why risk anything right now during the frigid April and May ahead in Chicago? Dempster's physical deficits from last year were nowhere as severe as Lieber's were, and if I had to guess at betwen Dempster and Marquis breaking down, it'd be Marquis. Lou may think Lieber's ready to go, but he wants to conserve a still touchy and aging arm as much as he can until it becomes clear - and it will - that he'll be needed.

I may be completely wrong, but what the hey, it's a free country.

i say give rich hill another start and if he is as bad as he has been lately send him to AAA and put lieber in his spot. when rich gets his shit together in AAA maybe by that time we will have a taker for dempster or marquis.

In Lou we trust. This may sound like a D. Baylor move, but I believe that our skipper has more chemistry in mind. If Marquis to the rotation would really hurt us, Lou wouldn't let it happen.

I look at Lieber as a pitcher who gets better as the game goes on. He works so fast compared to others, that his timing and his pace is more important, I don't know that is what I think.
I don't view him as a guy coming in with two on no out in the 5th and getting out of it.
This is Dempsters role, long relief. Period.

As mentioned before, this was the best way Lou could handle the situation. Yes it seems to be rewarding the cry babies who whined their way into the rotation, but if Dempster or Marquis has a rocky first month or two Lou has a legitimate reason to replace either of them with Lieber. Either way, for whatever reason I'm glad Lou was here to handle the situation rather than our old "friend" Dusty.