Levine's Latest Before the Snow

Here's the latest from Bruce Levine's popular weekly chat, which takes place every Tuesday over at ESPNChicago.com.

• Jay Jackson has a live arm and could make the club out of Spring Training.
• Bruce thinks the White Sox have a better chance at the playoff than the Cubs "at this point."
• The Cubs have no plans to switch Sean Marshall to the rotation. James Russell will be given a chance.
• Starlin Castro leading off for the Cubs is within the realm of possibility. Baker, Kosuke and DeWitt are other candidates.
• The Cubs will continue to be one of the slowest teams in the majors.
• The Cubs will not trade Geovany Soto, but if they are having another bad season Carlos Marmol could be dealt.
• Levine does not think Samardzija has been handled very well.
• Bruce does not expect a sophomore slump out of Starlin Castro. He should be much improved on defense.
• If Aramis Ramirez plays well, the Cubs will consider picking up his $15 million option. Otherwise, they'll have to pay a $1 million buyout.
• Mark Riggins is a new voice but he has lots of experience. Bruce expects him to be a good fit.
• The Cubs see Brett Jackson as their leadoff man and center fielder of the future.
• The consensus in the organization is that Trey McNutt has more upside than Chris Archer.

That's it for now, I'll keep you posted!

Mid Week Roundup: The Rotation, Health Situations, Lilly Cheating?, and More

Zambrano in the Hospital
Carlos Zambrano spent Thursday afternoon in the hospital with appendicitis type symptoms. Tests for appendicitis were negative and Big Z is listed as day-to-day. Zambrano is expected to return to his role in the rotation soon after spending a shot time in the Cubs' bullpen.

Baker Also Has a Scare
Jeff Baker was playing third base today. He had a little scare when he could not see out of his right eye according to Lou Piniella. Jeff was removed in the eight inning after he didn't even make an attempt at fielding a ball hit to his left. He will be examined by an eye doctor.

Rotation Situation
Zambrano will re-enter the rotation on the next road trip, which starts next Monday. Lou Piniella has not announced which starter will exit the starting five to make room for Z. Piniella doesn't think anyone deserves to leave the rotation, but the Cubs will not go with a six man rotation. Tom Gorzelanny could be in jeopardy of a move to the bullpen.

Ramirez to Return
Aramis Ramirez could finally be back in the lineup this weekend against the Cardinals. A-Ram was available to pinch hit today but he was not used. He hit in the cage and on the side with Rudy Jaramillo. Ramirez has been nursing a thumb injury.

Top Pitching Prospects Preparing for Relief Roles
The Cubs could be ready to call-up either Jay Jackson or Andrew Cashner from AAA-Iowa. Both guys, who are usually starters, have been converted to the bullpen so that they can join the Cubs' pen at some point this season. Bruce Levine says that one of them could be in the bullpen as soon as next week.

Lineup Switching
Piniella has continue to move guys around in the order. Ryan Theriot has been moved down in the order because of his recent struggles. Starlin Castro has found a home in the two hole. The Cubs are now 8-0 when Starlin hits second.

The Bulldog a Cheater?
Dodgers' hitter Casey Blake accused Ted Lilly of cheating today. Blake said the Lilly was starting his windup for some pitches in front of the rubber. The umpiring crew did not see any violation.

Power Outage
Last night the lights went out at Wrigley Field as Ryan Dempster delivered ball four to Blake DeWitt. The game was delayed for 18 minutes before power was restored. The last time there was a power outage at Wrigley was in 2003.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted!

Quick Hits: Piniella, Zambrano, and More

• Carlos Zambrano will eventually return to the starting rotation. Lou Piniella is going to use Zambrano in long relief instead of setup duty to start getting his arm stretched out for the time being.
• Lou is not sure how long it will take to get Z back into the rotation.
• Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports thinks that the Cubs should fire Piniella and replace him with bench coach Allan Trammell. Rosenthal writes, "It could happen. I'm guessing it will happen."
• Jim Hendry responded to Rosental's article by saying that Lou is safe for the 2010 season. He does not think the manager is at fault for the team's slow start.
• Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe says that the Cubs would trade Derrek Lee if they could.
• Steve Stone said Monday on 670 The Score that the next Cubs' manager should be Joe Girardi.
• Mark Prior recently started throwing in hopes of making one last comeback, but Prior took a line drive off his pitching shoulder and is injured again.
• Another injured former Cub is Jim Edmonds, who was recently placed on the DL by the Brewers.
• Phil Rogers suggests that the Cubs take a chance on bringing Bob Howry back. Howry was released by Arizona.
• Rogers also reports that bullpen help could be on the way in the form of Jay Jackson.
• Ryne Sandberg succeeding Lou is not a sure thing according to Paul Sullivan.
• The chances are slim to none that a team would take Zambrano off the Cubs' hands.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted.