ESPN

Bruce Levine takes your Cubs and Sox questions at 12 CT.

Submit questions here and come back for the chat.

Bruce Levine enters the Cubs chat room at 12 CT, followed by Doug Padilla on the White Sox at 12:30.

Submit questions here and come back later for the chat.

Want to talk about the Cubs' win over the White Sox? Bruce Levine enters the chat room at 12, followed by Doug Padilla talking White Sox at 12:30.

Click here to submit questions now, and come back for the chat.

The signing of left-hander Doug Davis could give the Chicago Cubs the stopgap veteran who can throw some valuable innings while Andrew Cashner and Randy Wells rehab their arm injuries.

Davis has had numerous injuries, including arm surgery in 2010, as well as a minor heart problem and thyroid cancer in 2008. But he still can be an important swing man between the bullpen and rotation.

The Cubs came into the season without a left-handed starter. If Davis can regain his previous form, he'll give Mike Quade some flexibility while Wells and Cashner are out.

The Cubs have no commitment to Davis after he signed the minor league contract on Tuesday. He'll continue to build his pitch count at the Cubs' minor league facility in Mesa, Ariz.

A team source said that Davis already has built his pitch count up to 72.

Davis was one of three Arizona Diamondback pitchers to defeat the Cubs during a three-game sweep in the 2007 NLDS.

He has a 91-101 career record and 4.38 ERA in 12 major league seasons.

MESA, Ariz. -- Chicago Cubs executive Todd Ricketts took a tour of the new Diamondbacks and Rockies state of the art spring training facility in Scottsdale, Ariz. on Friday. He was doing his due diligence in preparing for the Cubs’ new facility, which is due to be ready in either 2013 or ’14.

“We’re narrowing down the list of architects, who will put their qualifications forward in the next few weeks,” Ricketts said. “We should have an architect chosen sometime soon.

“We’re also putting together [a request For qualifications] for the contractors that we’re going to send out in the next week to 10 days.”

Groundbreaking for the Cubs facility is expected sometime later this year.

“We are hoping to be in the ground by this fall,” Ricketts said. “Then however long it takes.

"I hate to commit to 2013, but 2014 for sure.”

Although having the finest complex is something that all baseball teams envision, the Cubs may be more inclined to move on the side of practicality with their new endeavor.

“I think there’s been a little 'Keep up with the Joneses' mentality,” Ricketts said. “We are less about the glitz and more about the business. We want a facility that could help us win. That’s what we’re looking for.

“I don’t know if that means having a state of the art hydrotherapy table. But at the end of the day, it’s simple, you get your bodies in shape, you get your players ready to play, and we just need a little space to do that.”

Ricketts said the ownership group has not gotten into naming right at this point. But he did say down the road that it’s a distinct possibility.

The new stadium will hold close to 15,000, which is 2,500 more than the capacity at Ho Ho Kam Park.

Ricketts was asked about this year’s team and the baseball management group led by Jim Hendry.

“I think we’re definitely headed in the right direction,” Ricketts said. “There’s a single-mindedness to the team that will benefit us during the season.”

The Cubs have viewed every spring training facility in the Cactus League.

Live from Arizona, Bruce Levine enters the chat room to talk Cubs and White Sox.

Click here to submit questions now, and come back for the chat.

Bruce Levine checks into the baseball chat room to talk Cubs, White Sox at 12.

Click here to submit questions now, and come back for the chat.

There is no doubt obtaining Matt Garza from the Tampa Bay Rays for a boatload of young talent -- Chris Archer, Robinson Chirinos, Brandon Guyer, Hak-Ju Lee and Sam Fuld -- was a steep price to pay, but the end result might be worth it.

Garza gives the Cubs a top-of-the-rotation pitcher to go along with Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster. After finishing in fifth place last year, Cubs general manager Jim Hendry had to fortify his staff to compete with the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers.

Hendry's second move of the offseason, signing Kerry Wood to a free-agent contract, solidified an already-solid back of the bullpen that includes Carlos Marmol, Sean Marshall and John Grabow.

The Garza trade will allow power-pitching right-hander Andrew Cashner to vie for the fourth rotation spot. Garza's contract with the Cubs runs through 2013. Physically, the Cubs are getting a player who's never had an injury problem and is coming off his best season. He was 15-10 with a 3.91 ERA. Garza, who's known as being a bit quirky, will fit into an already quirky group of pitchers with the Cubs. He'll make $5 million-$6 million in 2011 through arbitration.

The Cubs also picked up right-handed hitting outfielder Fernando Perez in the deal. The 27-year-old outfielder has had a dislocated wrist and shoulder surgery over the last two seasons. Perez is a speed player who may become a fourth or fifth outfielder off the bench in 2011.

The key players in the trade for the Rays were Archer and Lee. Archer is being projected into the Rays' rotation by 2012. The 22-year-old right-hander was 15-3 during two different minor-league stints last season. Archer was listed as one of the Cubs' two top minor-league pitchers, along with right-hander Trey McNutt.

Lee is considered to be a couple of years away from the majors. According to a couple of minor-league scouts, Lee will be a top-flight defender but may not hit for average in the majors. He has outstanding speed and very good range at shortstop.

Chirinos and Guyer should make it to the majors, but they weren't deal-breakers as far as the Cubs were concerned, with catchers Geovany Soto and Wellington Castillo ahead of Chirinos. And the Cubs have No. 1 pick Brett Jackson ahead of Guyer.

Although the Chicago Cubs are always looking to add other forms of revenue at Wrigley Field, a rumored soccer match involving Manchester United is not on the docket at this point.

"Currently we are not in discussions with anyone from Manchester United about them playing at Wrigley Field in the near future," Cubs president Crane Kenney said Thursday.

Although Kenney wouldn't go any further, it's obvious the Cubs would explore the possibility.

Scheduling conflicts and concerns for Wrigley's grass would factor into the decision.

The Cubs have hosted numerous concerts over the last 10 years while the team was on the road during the summer and early fall. In the 30s, 40s and 50s, Wrigley was a site for professional wrestling, boxing and other entertainment events. The NHL and Big Ten have staged big events at Wrigley during the last two offseasons.

Chicago Cubs baseball on the radio may never be the same after the passing of Ron Santo. Veteran broadcaster Pat Hughes signed a five-year contract to continue his top quality play-by-play for the next five seasons. That begs the question who, if anyone, should replace Santo in the booth as color analyst.

Numerous candidates are out there looking for an opportunity in one of the higher profile radio jobs in baseball. Normally the television broadcast is the dominant element of a team's entity. Though in the case of the Cubs, they seem to be equal.

Plenty of candidates are contacting the Cubs about the open spot. Names in the mix are Dave Otto, Rick Sutcliffe, Keith Moreland, Randy Hundley and Rick Monday. Otto has done a nice job filling in for Santo over that last five years when the former Cubs icon was sick. However, Otto's style might not bring a high enough level of energy to the radio booth. Sutcliffe would be a popular choice, with his over-the-top personality and honest assessment of what's happening on the field and in the clubhouse. Sutcliffe is currently under contract as a television broadcaster for ESPN.

Monday has been a broadcaster in both San Diego and Los Angeles over the last 25 years. He is a former Cubs center fielder and may be best known for saving the American flag during a game in Los Angeles when he was a member of the Cubs. Monday stopped two protestors who were attempting to burn “Old Glory” in center field.

Moreland also has been a part-time contributor in the past when Bob Brenly had days off, and has been received well in his brief stints with Len Kasper.

Then, of course, there's Hundley, who has 45 year of Cubs history behind him and the southern charm to be accepted by Cubs fans. Hundley was part of the search that brought Santo and Brenly to the Cubs booth in 1990. The former Cubs catcher was said to have auditioned with the other two before he suddenly pulled himself out of consideration. At that time, WGN chose both Santo and Brenly to go along with new play-by-play man Thom Brennaman.

The Cubs may choose to go in another direction and hire Judd Sirott to do the middle three innings of play-by-play, while both he and Hughes contribute to the other broadcast. Sirott has broadcasted the fifth inning on radio over the last few seasons and has improved to the point that he should be in consideration for a major league broadcasting job.

If the Cubs and WGN go this direction, it would also give fans a chance to get used to the fact that the always unpredictable and loveable Santo is indeed gone. The Brewers' Bob Uecker and Cory Provus work as a tandem during their broadcast, providing some insight without employing a traditional color commentator.

Want to warm up with some baseball talk? Bruce Levine enters the chat room at 12 CT.

Click here to submit questions now and come back for the chat.

Cliff Lee's five-year, $120 million signing with the Philadelphia Phillies will have a trickle down effect on teams like the New York Yankees, Texas Rangers and the Chicago Cubs.

Now that the Yankees and Rangers have swung and missed on Lee, they will come after the Tampa Bay Rays' Matt Garza with their good, young minor-league prospects.

The Cubs, who have been waiting for the completion of the Lee deal, already have their young prospects on the table for Garza.

Tampa wants pitching prospects, but the Rays also are insistent on getting back a shortstop of the future. The Rangers have two outstanding minor-league shortstops in Jurickson Profar and Luis Sardinas. The Cubs also have good middle infield prospects to offer, such as Ju-Hak Lee or Ryan Flaherty.

The big question that remains to be answered is whether Texas, the Yankees or Angels will come looking for a starter like the Cubs' Carlos Zambrano after Garza is traded. At this point, the Cubs are not expecting to trade Zambrano, and they're not entertaining offers. He's expected to be at the top of their rotation, along with Ryan Dempster and possibly Garza.

If not, the old rumors about Zambrano being moved are likely to resurface. First of all, Zambrano has 5-10 veto rights on any possible trade. That means the team must come to him before any deal is made and ask for permission. Zambrano has been adamant about not being moved.

"I want to stay in Chicago and help the Cubs win a World Series," he told ESPNChicago.com at the end of the 2010 season.

Sources close to Zambrano said his commitment to his family, which includes having his daughters go to a private school in Chicago, is an even stronger motivating factor.

Trading starting pitching for anything less than other top starting pitching or minor-league pitching talent close to being finished products doesn't really make sense for the Cubs, whose rotation is iffy as it stands beyond the steady Dempster.

It would be difficult to project a 15-game winner on the staff other than Zambrano or Dempster. Zambrano's 8-0 record to close last season is encouraging for the Cubs and Zambrano, but not really that exiting to other major-league teams, considering Zambrano's contract is $36 million for the next two years.

An interesting fact is if he finishes first or second in Cy Young voting in 2011 or '12, another year automatically kicks in in his contract at $19.25 million in 2013.

Bruce Levine enters the chat room to talk Cubs and Sox at 12 CT.

Ask him about Carlos Zambrano's future, and whether he'll be targeted by the Yankees after they whiffed on Cliff Lee.

Ask him about whether the White Sox are shopping Carlos Quentin.

Click here to ask questions now, and then come back for the chat.

My friend Ron Santo will be cremated, and a source told me his ashes will be spread throughout Wrigley Field, his favorite place in the world.

Santo was eulogized at a service at Holy Name Cathedral by two different John McDonoughs, baseball commissioner Bud Selig and Santo's radio partner for 15 years Pat Hughes, as well as many dignitaries, including pallbearers Fergie Jenkins, Glenn Beckert, Randy Hundley, Ernie Banks and Billy Williams. Current players in attendance were Ryan Dempster, Sean Marshall, Justin Berg and Koyie Hill. Former Cubs pitcher Ted Lilly also was in attendance.

After the service, the procession followed the Santo hearse for a final trip to Wrigley, escorted by two police cars and three limousines. The procession lapped the ballpark from third base to first.

Santo's family and friends will host a dinner for family and friends at Harry Caray's downtown.

The Cubs will wear No. 10 patches on their uniform sleeves in 2011 to commemorate Santo's contribution to the Cubs.

As I was growing up in Chicago, Ron Santo was a hero to me before he was a friend. Like many Little Leaguers in the early '60s, I latched onto Santo as “my guy.” In my mind, I knew I'd be the guy to replace him when his baseball career was over.

But things often don't turn out the way you envision. One thing stayed constant, though, Santo was always my guy. Especially after we became friends in the late '80s.

Ron Santo had the gift of making strangers feel like friends instantly. I watched him meet and greet thousands over the years, having the same impact on every person he met. Each person walked away feeling like they made a new friend.

I knew Ron Santo for over 30 years, and never once did I hear him complain about being sick or having diabetes or losing the bottom of both legs. Never once.

The Cubs were another matter. I'd often listen to him complain about players not showing enough heart or emotion.

Ronny always used to say, "They don't play the game like we did. They don't relate to the fans like we did, either." Of course, Santo was right.

After Cubs games in the '60s and '70s, Santo and his teammates were always a part of the scene in the restaurants and bars around Wrigley Field. The 1969 Cubs were always enjoying times with the fans in local establishments after victories.

This summer in early June, I saw the mortal side of Ron Santo for the first time. I was sitting with him in the dugout like I do probably 50 times a season when he said to me he lost some of his zest for the job. The week before, Santo spent three days in the hospital while the team was in Pittsburgh over the Memorial Day holiday. He said to me, "I just don't have the energy I used to."

A week later, he told me he was going to sign another three-year contract to broadcast Cubs baseball, but that was the resiliency of Ron Santo.

He told me his plan for 2011 was to back off the East Coast trips, play it by ear on the other road games, while continuing to do all the home games.

Santo's spirit was also much improved in late 2010 when the Cubs started to play better under interim manager Mike Quade.

The games around Wrigley will continue, but they'll never be the same without the energetic and enthusiastic Santo around.

The 2011 season will be dedicated to Santo by the Cubs, one great ballplayer, one beautiful guy.