In with the Old

Seems to me that the Cubs' signing of Jon Lieber means that Sean Marshall will be bumped from the rotation, which is too bad. Marshall (that's him above, with his toes pointed heavenward) turned in 125 innings in his rookie campaign back in '06, when he had a better first half than second. He was often thrilling, and showed flashes of brilliance, a rare thing on that '06 team (other than Maddux, that is). He only pitched 100 innings last season, but you had the sense the Cubs saw a place for him for some time to come. But here's the thing: since Lieber's only signed for a year, maybe they're just looking to season Marshy a little more?

Another question: does this make somebody expendable? Like, say, Ryan Dempster? I have no real reason to believe this, I'm just saying. And those Brian Roberts rumours persist; maybe the O's want an arm in the deal, and Lieber is the Cubbies' insurance policy?

Or maybe, as the Tribune suggests in that link, Marshall is to be part of the deal?