more Mench for Lieber speculation

[yoyomayoma]

www.denverpost.com/rockies/ci_5483072

 

"Jon Lieber's situation should come to a breaking point soon. The Phillies aren't going to use him as a reliever. The most logical scenarios floating around: Lieber and Aaron Rowand to the White Sox for a reliever, or Lieber to the Brewers for Kevin Mench."

 

Does this make any sense at all? Isn't this just recycled? If the Phils pick up the rest of the salary difference, would we have any interest? Sheets, Cappy, Bush, Suppan and Lieber would be interesting. I personally don't think it's much of an upgrade over Vargas or Villy. I'd prefer a prospect myself.

[Brian the Automator]

This has to be recycled, unless the Brewers plan on sending Vargas to the pen or something... wouldn't seem like much bang for the buck there.

[dadofandrew]

It doesn't say the Brewers won't use him as a reliever. That said, he'd be a $7M long reliever, heck, maybe 7th starter.

 

If Mark doesn't mind spending the money, it might work, but Lieber's peak value would probably be right before the July 31st deadline...but you'd owe him about $3.6M more than Mench, so you'd have to pay him up to $2.4M before being dealt.

[splitterpfj]

That move doesn't make sense to me right now. At the very least, I'd think the Brewers would either get a prospect in the deal, or some of the difference in money.

 

I have nothing against Lieber, but the only spot I could see him in right now is long relief, at a very steep price.

[UWRyan428]

Maybe we then would package CV the Elder in a larger deal, with Gross to the Athletics for Kiko and the Douche.

[mothershipconnection]

I'd be fine with it IF things got so tense between the sides that the Phillies were willing to eat the salary difference to get rid of him.

[Big Reed]

it sounds more to me that the phillies beat writer is saying that lieber is gone. and then he's trying to review the past and see what deals were on the table for him that could be revisited.

 

the mench for lieber deal was proposed before the brewers made other deals. Now that the brewers have vargas and Suppan, they no longer really have an interest in Lieber.

 

and now that rowand is healthy, what the Phillies really need is another reliever- not an outfielder.

 

another part of this trade that the beat writer is not addressing is that since the original lieber trade proposal involving the White Sox, the white sox acquired erstad who's actually doing very well this spring and is projected as their starting Cf with 500+ atbats. the white sox now no longer have a need for rowand or lieber.

 

so this looks like a rehashing of old news without much consideration to the other teams involved.

[brewerfan82]

I'd be for this trade.

 

I'm not sure if the Brewers would be looking at him to further stabilize the starting rotation or to fill the Dave Burba/Rick Helling role out of the bullpen, but either way he would be a welcome addition to the pitching staff.

 

If he's used as the fifth starter, his projections at FanGraphs are favorable compared to Vargas':

 

ERA WHIP

James CHONE Marcel Zips James CHONE Marcel Zips

Lieber 3.98 4.36 4.72 4.43 1.26 1.31 1.34 1.27

Vargas 4.80 4.47 5.04 5.03 1.39 1.39 1.44 1.38

 

If he's used out of the pen, that could stabilize some of our concerns there.

 

Mench also seems to be the prime candidate to move to alleviate the outfield crunch. Clark and Gross seem more fit (and more willing) for roles off the bench, so I would be happy with those as our primary backups. Not to mention they provide much better defense than Mench has shown us.

[berniebrewer4life]

If they pick up the difference, sure i would do it. I think this might just be a recycled story.

[MoneyballMan]

Has anyone seen the problems we apparently have in the bullpen? Vargas in the bullpen and Lieber in the rotation may help alleviate the concern that DM and Yost have expressed about the bullpen. Worst-case it provides depth against injury that we wound up not having last year. And if 85-87 wins takes the division, it may be just what we need to weather a minor injury or two.

[PepsiFanClubAlum]

Troy e. Renck is a hack...I have said it before. I like the fact that he gives us stuff to talk about, but 90% of what he writes is unfounded.

[splitterpfj]

The Phils have moved Lieber to the bullpen.

 

milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070321&content_id=1853137&vkey=spt2007news&fext=.jsp

[aracko]

I really think Leiber woudl be a heck of a closer or 8th inning guy if anyone ever gave him a chance. He works fast, has a heck of a slide step and gets alot of ground balls which results in Double play balls. If I were a team looking for a sleeper at closer - lieber - with the phills picknig up some salary would be the guy Id target.

[Brian the Automator]

Historically, Lieber's a guy who needs some pitches to settle in... I'm not sure I'd want him to be fighting fires in the bullpen.

[Cyanogen5]

Well, according to Baseball This Morning, Freddy Garcia came out of the game last night after having shoulder tightness and throwing in the low 80's...so it is looking like Lieber will not be as available as he was this time yesterday. They speculated that he may be back in the rotation if Garcia can't start the year.

[splitterpfj]

After all of the "Take my pitcher...please" stuff from the Phillies....it appears as though Jon Lieber will start the season on the DL with a strained oblique. It's possible Garcia won't be ready either. If you think there's such a thing as "too much pitching"....you are wrong.

[RWeeksUp2Bat23]

Agreed