Bruce Levine

  (12:56 PM)

Greetings from beautiful Mesa where I will be watching Carlos Silva attempt to make his case for a spot in the rotation. For you Sox fans, I attended a doubleheader yesterday watching Zambrano throw in Tuscon and Buehrle throw on Glendale. So I'm up to snuff on both teams.

Brian (Joliet,Il)

Is there any chance the cubs could dangle Jeff Samardzija in hopes to bolster their pen? If so, what could they reasonably expect?

Bruce Levine

  (12:57 PM)

It's really hard to project what is worth is to another team. I believe part of his $10 million contract is a no-trade as well. Hopefully Samardzija will be an important pitcher for the Cubs in the future.

Bobby Perrone (Elmhurst, IL)

Do you think Starlin Castro will make the team right out of spring training? if not, when do you expect him to be called up and playing?

Bruce Levine

  (1:00 PM)

The only way Castro can make the team out of spring training is if there is an injury to one of the primary middle infielders. According to Piniella, Castro will be starting at Triple-A. I definitely see him as part of the mix at the very latest by September.

Chris Fiegler (Latham,NY)

By Looking at the Chicago Teams, Which team as the best shot of being in the World Series?

Bruce Levine

  (1:06 PM)

Just going by spring training, you would have to say the White Sox. If Ted Lilly was healthy it would be easier to project the Cubs' chances. But for now, on paper, you would have to say the South Siders.

Sean T. (Chicago, Illinois)

How will Andruw Jones do tis season?

Bruce Levine

  (1:07 PM)

Andruw Jones continues to impress Ozzie Guillen and his staff. After last night's game, I asked Guillen if Jones covers as much ground as he used to in center field. Guillen said he is not the same as he was seven or eight years ago but that he is still a good outfielder. Jones' approach at the plate has been outstanding this spring. He drove a ball deep to right-center field in the gap against the Royals' Zack Greinke on Monday night. The key is right-center field. Jones has been a notorious pull hitter his whole career.

Ricky (Indianapolis)

Bruce, If you had to guess, do you see Tyler Colvin on the opening day roster. The Kid is having a great spring?

Bruce Levine

  (1:08 PM)

At this particular juncture of spring training, the answer would be yes, he would be on the roster. But Lou Piniella is always prone to changing his mind. If the kid goes 0 for 15 over the next week that could possibly happen. Piniella has a dilemma with his bench where they need to take at least one strong outfield candidate to backup defensively. Colvin's main competition there is Sam Fuld and his main compettion batting left-handed are Chad Tracy and Micah Hoffpauir.

Chioke Hassan (Baltimore,Md)

Dear BruceHow long before the Cubs get a new Stadium?

Bruce Levine

  (1:10 PM)

If you're talking about spring training it's 2013, but for some reason I don't think that's your question. The Cubs will begin rehabbing Wrigley Field this offseason hoping to complete all the re-working of the old ballpark and have the new triangle building up and running by 2014.

ESPN Chicago

  (1:12 PM)

Bruce had to pause the chat to sit in on a Lou Piniella chat with reporters. He will be back in a few minutes so keep the questions coming.

Bruce Levine

  (1:20 PM)

I'm back with some news on Ted Lilly.According to Piniella, Lilly will throw against live hitters on Thursday when he returns to camp then do that again a few days later. That will be followed by a simulated game and then, according to Piniella, he will get what he assumes will be one start in a Cactus League game before spring training ends. After that, Piniella said he will probably need only three minor-league starts before making his way back tothe 25-man roster. These are all comments Piniella made four minutes ago.

Bruce Levine

  (1:20 PM)

Piniella also said that he doesn't want to be held to this because things can happen, but that's how it looks right now.

Dave Kubaitis (Chagrin Falls, Ohio)

Do you the sox making any trades in spring training.

Bruce Levine

  (1:22 PM)

The Sox are looking for another bullpen pitcher as well. They have been all winter. The health of Jenks and a final decision on keeping Sergio Santos will determine if they make a deal. Santos is out of options and either makes the team or becomes vulnerable to the waiver wire.

Steve T (Green Bay)

Is Theriot the answer at leadoff? They finished last in SB last year. This is exhasberating (sp?) the problem. Could they make a trade for a viable leadoff speedster?

Bruce Levine

  (1:23 PM)

It's a good thought on your part and it's something we just broached with Piniella minutes ago. This is a team that doesn't have much speed or base-stealing ability. But Theriot is the only answer they have right now with the possibility of Fukudome against certain right-handers. Nobody really has a speed player to trade that leads off.

Doug #2 (Northside)

Can Kevin Millar play 3B or RF well enough to be considered a back up there? If not, why are the Cubs even considering him for the roster considering how poorly he's hit the last couple of years?

Bruce Levine

  (1:25 PM)

That's another question just asked Piniella. He said that after Wednesday, the Cubs' off day, he will put Millar in the OF to see if he can play there. Piniella also said Millar came out of Monday's game with a minor strain of the quad area. Millar is practicing today but probably won't be in any game competition.

ronny (norway )

Do you see D. Lee or Aramis resigning with the cubs after the year? Or if the cubs are out of the playoff race by the deadline, do you think they'll dangle them as trade bait to revamp with younger talent?

Bruce Levine

  (1:27 PM)

Ramirez actually has two years left on a contract that pays him $15 million a year. He has a 10-day window after the season to declare himself a free agent. If he does that, the Cubs are no longer obligated to pay the final two years of his contract. Lee is a different story. He's a total free agent after the season. At age 35, it will be interesting to see how much longer he wants to play and how much longer the Cubs are willing to commit to him.

Mark Bowgren (Chicago)

Why don't the Sox look to acquire some more bullpen help. You can never have enough arms in there. I think with our overloaded OF we could manage to swap someone for some arms.

Bruce Levine

  (1:28 PM)

They are interested in a bullpen guy. They would love to get left-hander Scott Downs from the Blue Jays but he makes too much money at this point. The Sox are already maxed out at $104 million in payroll for 2010. Keep your eye on Tony Pena. He has thrown a lot better this spring than he did last summer for the Sox. He and Linebrink could be a key for bullpen depth.

Tim (Chicago)

Has Bobby Jenks loss of velocity finally caught up to him? He looked bad at the end of last year and doesn't appear to be much better this spring.

Bruce Levine

  (1:30 PM)

The one thing Jenks has proven is he's a pitcher now. He has two good breaking balls to go along with his fastball. Staying healthy is the key for Jenks throughout the rest of the spring. He's had a nagging calf problem that the White Sox are watching closely.

Tom (Chicago)

Who is winning the battle for the Cubs second baseman position. I believe Lou said it was Fontenot, would it still be him if he was'nt a lefty.

Bruce Levine

  (1:31 PM)

That's an intelligent question. Piniella knows he needs lefty-righty balance in his lineup. The team really doesn't have a run producer that hits from the left side. I would say if he was right-handed he would probably be back in the minor leagues.

Tyler (Chesterton)

Odds for Carlos Silva and Tyler Colvin making the team?

Bruce Levine

  (1:33 PM)

Silva is owed a lot of money so the Cubs are going to do their best to find a spot for him either as a starter or in the bullpen. Colvin has made a strong impression on Piniella and his staff and has a great chance to make the team. When you hit .550 you usually open people's eyes.

Steve (Columbus)

How's Nady's elbow coming along? Will he be ready for the start of the season?

Bruce Levine

  (1:34 PM)

He will be ready but not ready to play everyday in the outfield. By that I mean he won't be able to throw more than a couple hundred feet right away. More improtantly, the Cubs want to protect him from re-injuring himself in cold and damp weather in April.

Matt Kaiser (Dayton, OH)

What affect has Rudy Jaramillo had on the incumbents on the Cubs' roster this spring? Is there anyone in your mind that has really benefited from his presence so far?

Bruce Levine

  (1:35 PM)

Theriot said that he has already picked up a few pointers from Jaramillo that could make him a better hitter. Neither Jaramillo or the players are interested in rushing the process. That means his teachings take more than just a couple weeks to absorb.

John Clay (isportsweb.com)

True or False: Andres Blanco adds more to the Cubs defensively from the SS position than Mike Fontenot adds offensively from the same spot.

Bruce Levine

  (1:37 PM)

That's difficult to quantify. It's a fair question but it's really too abstract to answer. Fontenot is on the team as the starting second baseman. The Cubs are trying to determine if he can be at least decent at short as a replacement for Theriot. In my opinion, that's a dangerous premise. Why would you want your starting second baseman to worry about playing another position. And it's not like Fontenot is a locked-in major league veteran at his position. The reason they are messing around with Fontenot at SS is because they'd like to keep an extra bench player who can hit and send Blanco back to Class AAA.

Joe (Chicago: Pilsen Area)

Bruce, which Chicago player will be in the MVP talks? Aramis Ramierz, Carlos Quentin, D-Lee, Gordon Becham, or Paul Konerko

Bruce Levine

  (1:39 PM)

If I was picking one from each team I would say Ramirez and Beckham.

Sam (Evanston)

If Jenks goes down, will it be Putz or Thornton?

Bruce Levine

  (1:39 PM)

My guess is it will be Putz because he has the most experience at the position. His arm is coming back nicely.

max (oak park)

True or False: All of the Kenny Williams trades have depleted the Sox to the point of this being a make or break year.

Bruce Levine

  (1:42 PM)

That's false. They have some good-looking young talent coming along. In the top 100 young player in the minor leagues you would have Jordan Danks, Dan Hudson, Tyler Flowers and Brent Morel. If they ever need to package a deal for Adrian Gonzalez then they would be void of any real major-league potential minor league players.

Bruce Levine

  (1:44 PM)

In Mesa today with the Cubs to watch Silva. In Glendale tomorrow to watch Peavy and the White Sox. Taht's my routine for the rest of spring training. Look forward to starting pitchers getting stretched out this week and more cuts. Talk to you Friday at noon CT for my next chat.