Reports out of Philadelphia Friday are that the National League Champion Phillies will not pursue an extension with Brett Myers.
Myers, once the top of the Philadelphia rotation, fell out of favor over the last couple years because of injuries and off-the-field issues. He spent some time as the Phillies closer before Brad Lidge was acquired as well.
Myers, 29, appeared in 18 games for the Phillies in 2009, starting 10 games and throwing 70.2 innings. He posted a 4-3 record with a 4.84 ERA and .272 batting average allowed. He struck out 50 batters, while 23 received a free pass.
The Chicago Cubs are looking for someone that won't command a huge salary to potentially give the team a few early season starts in Ted Lilly's absence, and some bullpen depth. Myers could potentially fill both of those roles.
The tricky part will be determining a market for Myers, and whether that market is as a starter or reliever. He made over $12 million last year, but stands to take a fairly substantial pay cut based on his performances over the last few seasons.
Should the Cubs pursue Myers? My vote is yes.
Myers would probably have interest in a multi-year deal with lots of incentives. If the Cubs gave him the opportunity to at least begin the year in the rotation, something Myers has wanted since leaving the rotation in Philly, it might entice him to take the deal.
Considering Myers won't turn 30 until the middle of August, a multi-year deal isn't out of the question, either. Cubs GM Jim Hendry has a long history of taking chances on burned out pitchers, and some (Ryan Dempster) have turned out to work out extremely well.
Myers has shown more in the last couple years in Philadelphia than Dempster had shown in Cincinnati before coming to Chicago, and could be a quality, relatively inexpensive gamble.
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