[vincesanity82]

The Chicago Cubs added some veteran depth to their pitching staff on Wednesday afternoon, signing veteran Jon Lieber to a contract.

Terms of the deal weren't disclosed, but Lieber is coming off a season in which he made only 14 starts, and went 3-6 with a 4.73 ERA for the Philadelphia Phillies. He also missed the entire second half of the season after rupturing a tendon in his right foot.

This will be Lieber's second time around with the Cubs as he spent 1999 through 2002 going 48-34 for the north siders. Of course, he was only 32 when he left, and he'll be turning 38 this April, so I'm not sure he'll be as effective. What he does do for the Cubs, though, is give them options.

He'll be competing with Ryan Dempster, Sean Marshall, and Sean Gallagher for the fifth spot in the Cubs starting rotation, but more importantly, he provides flexibility. The Cubs have been trying to get Brian Roberts from the Orioles for a while now, and now that they've added Lieber to their staff, they may feel more comfortable giving up some of the young pitching the Orioles want in return if they're to complete the deal.

Jon Lieber Is a Chicago Cub Again - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

[bears9]

It's not a bad move, we need more depth in the rotation.