CHICAGO -- Two years ago, Jon Lieber was a 20-game winner. Now he's looking for work after the Chicago Cubs didn't offer him arbitration and the two sides failed to agree on a new deal.

Lieber, 32, went 48-36 in his four seasons with the Cubs and was their Opening Day starter the past three years.

He was 6-8 with a 3.70 ERA last season when his season was cut short Aug. 3 by elbow ligament replacement surgery.

The right-hander was not expected to pitch until late in the 2003 season, if at all, while he rehabs his elbow.

''We're disappointed we didn't get something done,'' Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said. ''We thought we were being fair with him in 2003 and an option for 2004 but we didn't get it done.''

Reports say the Cubs offered a one-year, $500,000 deal for next season with a club option for 2004 in which Lieber could have earned $7 million if incentives were reached.

Lieber was 20-6 in 2001 when he made the NL All-Star team.

The Cubs also declined to offer arbitration to catcher Joe Girardi, pitchers Pat Mahomes and Jason Bere and first baseman Fred McGriff.

They'd earlier declined an $8.5 million option on McGriff.