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CHICAGO – Rodrigo Lopez didn’t need a lot of time to weigh his options, deciding to accept his outright to Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday right after clearing waivers.

Lopez could have become a free agent in the hopes of landing a big-league job, but it likely would have been as a reliever since he was being used out of the Cubs bullpen to start the season.

Instead he agreed to report to Iowa where he is expected to join the rotation, giving him options to start or relieve the next time the Cubs need somebody for the pitching staff.

The 36-year-old right-hander saw limited action, posting a 5.68 ERA over four outings (6 1/3 innings) as the long man.

The Cubs announced Monday that Lopez had been designated for assignment to bring aboard right-hander Michael Bowden, who was acquired over the weekend in the trade that sent Marlon Byrd to the Boston Red Sox.

CHICAGO -- The addition of recently-acquired Michael Bowden to the Cubs bullpen Monday cost Rodrigo Lopez his spot on the roster.

Lopez was designated for assignment by the Cubs, just as Bowden was by the Boston Red Sox before he was traded Saturday, along with a player to be named later, for Marlon Byrd and cash considerations.

“If he clears waivers and everything, we want to keep [Lopez] in the organization and put him in the rotation down in Triple-A,” manager Dale Sveum said. “Hopefully that happens and he elects to go down there as well.”

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CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs pitching staff was reinforced Saturday as Rodrigo Lopez joined the bullpen in the long-man role.

The Cubs started the season with an 11-man pitching staff after claiming infielder Luis Valbuena off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays.

Lopez was the odd man out as long man, but now that the club is on the other side of Friday’s off day, the bullpen was reinforced to seven members.

“[Lopez] is a veteran guy that knows how to pitch, but with his slider being back to where he wants it to be, he becomes a lot more versatile throughout the whole lineup and the game when you can use him,” manager Dale Sveum said.

Valbuena was reassigned to Triple-A Iowa.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs’ bullpen proved even harder to put together than expected.

Because the club claimed infielder Luis Valbuena off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday, they will open the season with just six relief pitchers.

General manager Jed Hoyer revealed the bullpen before Wednesday’s workout at Wrigley Field saying Carlos Marmol, Kerry Wood, James Russell, Rafael Dolis, Shawn Camp and Lendy Castillo all are on the roster.

The odd man out in the group is right-hander Rodrigo Lopez, who was expected to be the long man. No official move has been announced on Lopez, who was a non-roster invitee to spring training on a minor-league contract. Hoyer suggested, though, that Lopez remains solidly in the club’s plans.

“I think Rodrigo is likely to make an appearance here at Wrigley very quickly,” Hoyer said. “But with the flexibility we were able to go with 14 [position players] and 11 [relievers] early on and had the ability to claim a guy like Valbuena.”

The flexibility Hoyer was talking about was the off day on Friday that will allow relievers used in Thursday’s game to get some extra rest. But the bullpen isn’t expected to stay at six pitchers beyond the weekend.

With so many bench players having the ability to play on the infield, rumors have already started that somebody in that group could be dealt. Much of the speculation centers around Blake DeWitt, who, like Valbuena, bats left-handed. Valbuena’s advantage is that he can play shortstop.

Another odd man out in the bullpen is right-hander Manny Corpas, who had an up-and-down spring. Corpas, who is coming off Tommy John surgery, had been taken off the 40-man roster in January and was a non-roster invitee to spring training.

Competing for a spot on yet another major league roster is nothing new for Rodrigo Lopez. The journeyman starter is in a battle with at least eight other pitchers for five spots coming out of spring training.

The 36-year-old allowed two runs on six hits in his three innings of work on Thursday against Colorado.

”I threw a lot of pitches, but I was pretty satisfied with the pitches I made when I got behind in the count,” Lopez said.

Lopez’s most notable blemish was a two-run home run to Wilin Rosario in the second inning.

”I made probably too many pitches, but the strike zone was a little smaller today,” Lopez said. “The last inning I made an adjustment to get more into the game -- I had a better feel for it.”

Three spots remain open in the rotation although Chris Volstad, Jeff Samardzija, Paul Maholm and Randy Wells appear to be ahead of the wily veteran.

“This is nothing new to me,” Lopez said. ”But I want to make the rotation. That is my goal”

The Cubs traded for Lopez last spring then recalled him from Triple-A Iowa on June 14. He ended the season with a 6-6 record and a 4.42 ERA. The team re-signed him to minor league contract in early January.

Manager Dale Sveum is not counting Lopez out of the competition – at least not yet.

”This guy is a veteran guy who can move the ball all around, “ Sveum said. “His breaking ball looks like it is back. That was his forte when he was with Baltimore having those good years .He had one of those sliders that hitters just couldn’t pick up.”

Lopez has eight years major league experience. He has been in baseball since 1993 having played for six big league clubs.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Cubs' lineup Friday against the White Sox is far less interesting than the schedule of pitchers, even with Alfonso Soriano back in the leadoff spot.

Three guys vying for a rotation spot will take the mound with Travis Wood starting. Wood will be followed by Randy Wells and Rodrigo Lopez, not necessarily in that order.

With Jeff Samardzija emerging as a serious bidder for a rotation spot, opportunities could be waning for the rest of the field. Ryan Dempster, Matt Garza and Paul Maholm were thought to have rotation spots locked up with roles available for the fourth and fifth starters.

Andy Sonnanstine and Chris Volstad, neither of whom pitch Friday, are also in the mix for a rotation spot.

The Cubs’ starting lineup against the White Sox left-hander Chris Sale:

1. Alfonso Soriano, DH
2. Darwin Barney, 2B
3. Jeff Baker, RF
4. Bryan LaHair, 1B
5. Marlon Byrd, CF
6. Joe Mather, LF
7. Steve Clevenger, C
8. Junior Lake, SS
9. Edgar Gonzalez, 3B

The game will be televised on WGN at 2 p.m. CST, with the White Sox's announcing crew calling the game.

MESA, Ariz. -- The Chicago Cubs lost a shootout to the Oakland Athletics in the spring opener, 12-10 on Sunday at HoHoKam Park, as Oakland’s Brandon Allen delivered a grand slam and seven RBIs.

The good: Despite giving up a dozen runs, not all Cubs pitching was bad. In fact, the pitchers started strong as the first nine A’s batters were retired. Starter Rodrigo Lopez pitched two perfect innings followed by a 1-2-3 inning from Carlos Marmol. Rafael Dolis also had a perfect inning while lefty Trever Miller retired four of the five batters he faced.

The bad: Jeff Beliveau and Dae-Eun Rhee gave up most of the A’s runs in a two-inning stretch. Beliveau didn’t even retire a batter, giving up a home run and three walks to load the bases. Not only did Rhee allow his three inherited runners to score (all on Allen’s grand slam), he also was charged with five runs (four earned) himself.

Beyond the box score: Two Cubs runners getting picked off first base in one inning didn’t look good, but manager Dale Sveum wasn’t all that displeased. If Sveum was bothered by anything, it’s that both Darwin Barney and David DeJesus thought about advancing on pitches in the dirt but second-guessed themselves and were cut down returning to the first-base bag. Sveum is preaching to trust your first instinct on the bases.

Up next: Right-hander Ryan Dempster will make his first outing of the spring in a 1:05 MST start against the A’s at HoHoKam Stadium. Oakland will counter with right-hander Bartolo Colon.

MESA, Ariz. -- Now that the baseball games are starting, let the game within the games begin as well.

Rodrigo Lopez got the call to start the Cactus League opener for the Chicago Cubs against the Oakland Athletics on Sunday as the arduous process of determining the last two spots in the rotation begins.

It’s early, but Lopez set the bar high with two perfect innings before turning things over to the bullpen. He said he was aided by a slight tweak with the grip on his slider, something that was suggested to him by guest pitching instructor Rick Sutcliffe.

“He knows my slider when I was back in rookie ball; I would throw it without thinking,” Lopez said. “He just gave me a couple of things to work on with the grip. Today I worked on the new grip for the slider and most of them worked pretty good. But definitely it’s been helping a lot.”

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MESA, Ariz. -- Rodrigo Lopez, Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza will start the Chicago Cubs’ first three Cactus League games, in that order, manager Dale Sveum announced Monday.

The Cubs open their spring schedule Sunday against the Oakland A's. They play the A's again March 5 and then face the Colorado Rockies on March 6. All three games are home at HoHoKam Stadium.

That schedule lines up Dempster or Garza to be the Opening Day starter on April 5 against the Washington Nationals at Wrigley Field.

Garza would actually be lined up perfectly to start the opener if he pitched every fifth day. He would need to pitch in a B game on March 21 to stay on schedule since that is the Cubs' only day off from Cactus League play.

Dempster could also pitch on Opening Day, getting an extra day of rest between his final Cactus League start and the season opener.

Manager Dale Sveum was asked if the spring pitching schedule put Dempster ahead of Garza in the major-league rotation.

“No, we'll probably make that decision in the middle of [the Cactus League schedule]," Sveum said.

The Chicago Cubs signed pitcher Rodrigo Lopez to a non-roster deal on Thursday, a major league source told ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine.

Lopez will earn $900,000 if he is on the major league roster or $235,000 if he is in the minor leagues, according to the source.

The 36-year-old right-hander was 6-6 with a 4.42 ERA in 26 games, including 16 starts for the Cubs last season. The Cubs acquired Lopez in a trade with the Atlanta Braves in May.

DALLAS -- Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer talked to Albert Pujols' agent Dan Lozano on Monday at the winter meetings. However, the Cubs fan base should probably hold off on getting Pujols jerseys.

“[Lozano] also represents Rodrigo Lopez, so if you see somebody going into someone’s room, it’s not always to talk about the Big Kahuna,” said Epstein, who admitted he was hoping to bring Lopez back to the team to add depth to a paper-thin starting rotation. “But yeah, we met with Danny.”

Just from Epstein’s commentary over the past month, it doesn’t appear that the Cubs will be spending all of their money on one player.

Looking at the Pujols situation realistically, it seems far-fetched for a team like the Cubs, which has four or five position spots to fill and at least two rotation spots, to be going after Pujols. But one thing to keep in mind is that Epstein is known for flying under the radar.

A prime example is his signing of free agent Carl Crawford to a $160 million contract with the Red Sox without any media people finding out about it beforehand.

Could Epstein go stealth again during these meetings?

“Probably not,” Epstein said. “We try the best we can not to telegraph our moves, but then again it’s not a huge concern [if people find out.] You guys are pretty good at anticipating things that we might do. But if you can pull off something that hasn’t been made public, it makes it a little bit easier.”

The Cubs’ goal at the meetings is to add pitching depth and position players. San Diego third baseman Chase Headley is on their want list as is Colorado’s Ian Stewart.

Headley, a switch hitter, could be projected to hit with more power if he was playing in Chicago. The Padres third baseman only had four home runs in cavernous Petco Park last season in 351 at-bats. What the Cubs like about Headley is that he hit 11 home runs in 2010 and 12 in 2009. If acquired, they would expect Headley to hit 15-20 home runs at the more homer-friendly Wrigley Field. The Padres are looking for bullpen help in return and are hoping the Cubs might part with a couple of pitchers, including left-hander James Russell.

The Rockies are interested in right fielder Tyler Colvin in exchange for Stewart. Stewart, like Headley, had a rough season in 2011, failing to homer in 122 at-bats. But he hit 25 homers in 2009 and 18 in 2010. Stewart is a left-handed hitter, which is something else that the Cubs are seeking.

The Cubs also confirmed that first baseman Carlos Pena will most likely reject their arbitration offer. Industry sources tell ESPNChicago.com that Pena is looking for a three-year contract elsewhere. The deadline for a free agent offered arbitration to accept or decline is Wednesday.

“Lots of talk but not a lot of action,” is the way Epstein, who challenged his scouts to find trading partners for starting pitching, described the first day of winter meetings.

Now that the World Series is over, free agency for major league players begins. Here is a quick look at the Chicago Cubs players who may be moving on and my percentage chance of their return.

1. Aramis Ramirez, 3B: In a weak free agent market for third baseman, Ramirez will seek upwards of four years on a contract. The Cubs have had their chance to negotiate with his agent Paul Kinzer exclusively for the last five weeks. Instead they have decided to wait and let their new top baseball executives make that decision. The Cubs have a $16 million option on Ramirez's contract for 2012 or a $2 million buyout if they reject it. Ramirez has his own option where he can declare free agency regardless of what the Cubs do. If Ramirez leaves he will leave a gaping hole offensively in the third spot in the lineup where he had the second-most at-bats last season. He hit .306 with 26 homers and a team-leading 93 RBIs. He also led the Cubs in slugging percentage (.510). Unless Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer believe Ramirez is worthy of a long-term deal, his career as a Cub may be over. Defensively, Ramirez can be replaced by D.J. LeMahieu, but replacing the power numbers is another issue. Chance of return: 10 percent

2. Carlos Pena, 1B: Pena will be a free agent for the second straight season. The Cubs were satisfied with his season as he delivered 28 home runs and 80 RBIs. Defensively, Pena saved 50 bad throws from Cubs infielders, turning them into outs. He led all of baseball in that category, according to ESPN Stats & Info. He was a $10 million bargain for the Cubs despite his .225 batting average and 161 strikeouts. He set an all-time mark for Cubs first baseman with 101 walks. Epstein and Co. will have to decide if they want to put $200 million toward free agents Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder or bring back Pena. Right now the only other first base option in the organization appears to be Bryan LaHair, who led the minors with 38 home runs in 2011. One thing to keep in mind is that Pena is represented by Scott Boras, who also represents Fielder. Knowing Boras' track record, he will let Pujols set the bar for Fielder. Once Fielder is signed he will dangle Pena. Chance of return: 50 percent

3. Kerry Wood, RP: The 34-year-old inked a one-year, $1.5 million deal prior to the 2011 season. Wood turned down the White Sox’s two-year, $8.5 million offer in order to return to his roots. The right-hander had a so-so season, which was marred by an 18-day stint on the DL due to blisters on his right index finger. Wood’s season ended prematurely on Sept. 19 after he tore the meniscus in his left knee. The Cubs pitcher had arthroscopic surgery on Sept. 29. Money will not be the deciding factor as to whether Wood returns or not in 2012. The franchise icon said in late September that he’d rather retire than pitch elsewhere. It will be up to president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer to determine if Wood returns. Chance of return: 80 percent

4. John Grabow, P: The soon-to-be 33-year-old left-handed reliever had two disappointing seasons with the Cubs after being obtained in a trade from the Pittsburgh Pirates in July 2009. A severely damaged left knee took away some of Grabow's ability over the past two years. In 2011 he was 3-1 with a 4.76 ERA. He was not used in an important role by manager Mike Quade. The Cubs are well fortified with lefties, including Sean Marshall, James Russell, John Gaub and Scott Maine. Grabow will sign elsewhere. Chance of return: 0 percent

5. Reed Johnson, OF: The Cubs' Energizer Bunny turns 35 in December and was one of the most productive bench players in the National League in 2011. The only downside for Johnson was that he closed the season in an 8-for-50 skid. Johnson still hit .309 and had an OPS of .815, third-highest on the team. He hit .410 with a 1.208 OPS from April 12 through June 15. Defensively, he is still above average at all three outfield positions. A clutch hitter, Johnson hit .324 from the seventh inning on in 2011. The Cubs' new front office should take a hard look at bringing him back to fortify the outfield depth. Chance of return: 65 percent

6. Rodrigo Lopez, P: The 36-year-old pitcher gave the Cubs some solid innings as a starter after Carlos Zambrano walked away from the team on Aug. 12. Lopez could be a solid swingman between the bullpen and rotation if they decide to invite him back in 2012. A decision on Lopez wouldn't come before the winter meetings ended. Chance of return: 10 percent

7. Ramon Ortiz: After a non-descript stint with the Cubs, Ortiz would appear to pitch elsewhere in 2012. Chance of return: 0 percent

MILWAUKEE -- Same story, different day. That is an apt summation of the Chicago Cubs' 2011 season.

After nearly every loss this season, someone in the Cubs’ clubhouse has either pointed to a lack of pitching or subpar defense as leading to the team’s ultimate demise. After committing four errors on Thursday against the Braves, the Cubs’ defense bit them once again on Friday. Darwin Barney made two errors that led to three runs (two unearned) in a decisive fifth inning in a 5-2 win for the Milwaukee Brewers.

“You don’t win championships without pitching and defense, there’s no doubt about that,” Barney said. “That’s one of those things where we’re gonna get better, we’re gonna be more fundamentally sound. As our defense gets better, our pitching will get better because we’ll pick them up. That’s just the way things work. There’s a lot of room for improvement, that’s for sure. We’re gonna work really hard at cleaning that stuff up.”

Corey Hart started the fifth with a single up the middle and Nyjer Morgan attempted to bunt him over to second. With Barney covering first base, pitcher Rodrigo Lopez fielded the bunt and his throw seemed to pull Barney off the bag. Barney attempted to put his foot back on the base, but Morgan was already ruled safe.

Barney compounded that mistake by making another error on the following play. After Ryan Braun's double to right field drove in Hart, Barney attempted to catch Morgan napping as Morgan aggressively rounded third. Barney’s throw went over Aramis Ramirez's head and out of play, allowing both Morgan and Braun to score.

“Caught some bad luck on Morgan’s bunt, I thought we had him,” manager Mike Quade said. “I think Barn had him and went back to make sure. That’s usually tough on an umpire to take a look at. That would have helped minimize the damage for sure. And then an errant relay throw, just trying to do too much.”

Both Quade and Lopez said that the bunt play changed the inning and the game in the Brewers’ favor. After the game, Lopez showed a group of reporters the play in slow motion numerous times, insisting that Barney’s foot was initially on the bag when he caught the ball and then came off after he’d made the out.

Barney agreed with Quade that it was likely that he tried to retouch the bag that caused the umpire to call Morgan safe.

“Whether you’re on (the bag) or not, when the play’s moving quick, sometimes the umpire takes information from all different places,” Barney said. “(The umpire’s) not in the wrong at all, it’s just baseball. That’s how the plays have been called for a long time. It’s my mistake for going back at it, either way I should have played it off or something. The second one was bad judgment, I saw Nyjer doing his thing over there and I thought I could make something happen. Unfortunately I couldn’t and I put us in a hole.”

Barney’s poor defense overshadowed a solid outing from Lopez who went six innings and gave up only two earned runs on five hits while striking out five.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t get the job done there behind (Lopez), didn’t help him out,” Barney said. “Along with me he has to wear that too. I thought he pitched a great game. That’s one of the best offensive clubs that’s out there right now.”

CHICAGO -- Rodrigo Lopez's outing on Sunday was forgettable but certainly not a first.

The Chicago Cubs right-hander, who was going for his third straight win of the season, instead left with his third straight loss to the Cardinals, this one a 6-2 drubbing.
Lopez, acquired from the Atlanta Braves earlier this season, surrendered 10 hits and gave up four home runs, which he’s done four times in his career.

Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols snapped an 0-for-9 skid by belting one of those homers, his third of the season off of Lopez. Pujols hit a game-winner of Lopez in the Cubs’ 10-inning, 3-2 loss on June 5.

Cubs manager Mike Quade said catcher Geovany Soto was set up to pitch Pujols off the plate, but Lopez couldn’t execute.

“I don’t know,” Lopez responded when asked to explain his misfortune against Pujols this season. “He probably figured me out already, making bad pitches like today....The last two hits off me, they were ground balls. He’s Pujols. He’s one of the best hitters in the game.”

Sunday also marked the second time this season that Lopez gave up back-to-back homers, this time to Jon Jay and Yadier Molina in the second. Molina clubbed two homers off of Lopez, the first a hanging change-up and the second a high fastball.

“It’s just tough when you’re a finesse guy,” Quade said. “It was just very little room for error. When you mess up out over the plate it’s tough to compensate for that.”

CHICAGO -- Here’s a quick look at the Chicago Cubs’ 6-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday at Wrigley Field.

How it happened: Right-hander Rodrigo Lopez has lost each of his last three outings against the Cardinals, which included one relief appearance. On Sunday, he surrendered five earned runs on 10 hits, including four home runs, over 5 1/3 innings. Lopez was hit hard early and often. He gave up back-to-back second-inning home runs to Jon Jay and Yadier Molina, who hit another homer off Lopez in the sixth. Albert Pujols hit his third homer of the season in the fifth. Aramis Ramirez drove in both Cubs’ runs.

What it means: The Cubs won the series against the Cardinals but failed to earn a home sweep of their division rival for the first time since a four-game series in late July 2006. The Cubs will host a four-game set against the Wild Card-leading Atlanta Braves starting on Monday.

Outside the box: When asked on Sunday’s “Baseball Tonight” broadcast whether Carlos Zambrano will pitch again for the Cubs, team chairman Tom Ricketts said, “I have a hard time imagining that.” Ricketts on Friday backed the decision to place Zambrano on the disqualified list for 30 days.

What’s next: Cubs right-hander Ryan Dempster (10-8, 4.61) will face Braves right-hander Jair Jurrjens (12-5, 2.84) on Monday at 7:05 p.m.