This is my second contribution to MLBTradeRumors.com and with this entry, I have yet to comment on a trade that might be happening. So far, when it comes to the Phillies, it’s been all about trades that aren’t going to happen.
Yesterday afternoon, manager Charlie Manuel told reporters that Jon Lieber, the subject of considerable trade speculation since December, would begin to pitch exclusively out of the bullpen, not because of poor performance, but because he was the odd-man out on a team with six starting pitchers. Later in the evening, Freddy Garcia was pulled from the first inning. Besides suffering from numerous big hits by the Toronto Blue Jays lineup, Garcia’s velocity was down and he reported experiencing tightness in his right biceps.
With this development, it’s likely that for the time being, life will change very little for Lieber and he will slide right back into the starting rotation while Garcia’s health problems are sorted out. Lieber won’t be traded anywhere any time soon.
Tom Goyne is the author of Balls, Sticks, & Stuff, a Phillies-centric site, and maintains the Phloggers’ Pheeds page, a source for the latest commentary from around the "phlogosphere".
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