More additions, but not the ones you were expecting

The Cubs may not have traded for Brian Roberts... yet... but they've added a pair of veteran pitchers via free agency without sacrificing the farm system.

The Cubs' last 20-game winner is coming back. Jon Lieber turns 38 in the opening week of the season, so don't expect the same pitcher who went 20-6 seven years ago. He was 3-6 in a dozen starts in an injury-shortened 2007 season for the Phillies, but he's only two years removed from a 17-win season. He joins Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, Rich Hill and Jason Marquis among Cub starters even before we talk about Ryan Dempster moving to the rotation or Sean Marshall, Sean Gallagher, Angel Guzman and whomever else is battling to emerge from the minors.

Shingo Takatsu was signed to a minor-league deal and will get a look-see in spring training. At 39, he would be the oldest Cub in Mesa. The right-hander put up one solid Major League season, closing out 45 games for the White Sox in 2004 after a lengthy career in Japan. Putting up a 2.31 ERA in '04 followed by a 5.20 ERA in '05 before returning to Japan it's a coin toss whether he'll be effective, but "Mr. Zero" would be one more veteran in a well-stocked bullpen late in the game (over 300 career saves between the two continents) if he's still got it. If he makes the club, the Cubs would have four players who speak at least some Japanese, joining Alfonso Soriano, who played there as a teenager; Derrek Lee, whose father and uncle played there while he was growing up; and of course, Kosuke Fukudome.

In any case, more typical Jim Hendry moves, stockpiling enough Major League talent to fill whatever unexpected gaps might turn up. I'm under the impression that after getting burned when Derrek Lee was hurt two years ago, he doesn't want to ever be left in the lurch again in what may continue to be baseball's easiest division to win.

Leadoff tradeoff

Rumors are abound that the Cubs are about to dump off a lot of young talent to bring in Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts to bat leadoff. Sean Marshall, Sean Gallagher and Ronny Cedeno have been talked about as "part" of the package to bring Roberts to the north side.

I don't get it. Is Alfonso Soriano a leadoff hitter "only" or not? They're ready to jettison that line of thinking as soon as a career .280 hitter who once stole 50 bases becomes available?

Roberts seems like a good guy despite his appearance in the Mitchell Report and his subsequent confession, but the overlooked factor is that the Cubs already have somebody who can give the Cubs a higher leadoff average than Soriano and still steal a load of bases.

I'm talking about Ryan Theriot.

Theriot has a higher career batting average than Roberts as a leadoff hitter as well as a higher success rate as a base-stealer. Last season he stole 28 bases in 32 tries, and the only thing keeping him from 50-60 or more is more green lights from Lou Piniella. We know Soriano can steal 40+ bases too, but last year he only had 25 attempts. The only edge I see Roberts having over Theriot in the leadoff role is that he can switch-hit.

And personally I don't think the combination of Mark DeRosa and Mike Fontenot failed last year. DeRosa, in fact, hit for a higher batting average than Roberts too, with a similar OBP.

I'm not saying the Cubs might improve their chances with an all-star second baseman, but the upside of Brian Roberts over the status quo isn't worth what the Orioles are asking. Not at the expense of a 25-year-old starting pitcher who knocked a point and a half off his ERA last year like Marshall, and Gallagher and Cedeno and who knows who else. They don't need to strip-mine their farm system for roles they can already fill.