CHICAGO -- The corners are set. Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez are mainstays of the Cubs infield at first and third, respectively. But the middle will have a slightly different look with the departure of Mark DeRosa.

The Cubs dealt DeRosa to the Cleveland Indians for three young pitchers and acquired switch-hitter Aaron Miles to take over the role of Mr. Versatility, completing both moves on New Year's Eve. Miles can play second, can give Ryan Theriot a breather at short, can play third, can sub in the outfield if needed, and can even pitch. He has been on the mound for three innings in the big leagues, including one perfect inning last year in relief.

Miles was not brought in to be the full-time second baseman. The player who could benefit the most from DeRosa's exit is Mike Fontenot. The left-handed hitting Fontenot batted .305 in 119 games last season, including a .360 average in the second half. Cubs manager Lou Piniella has said Fontenot deserves more at-bats.

"It always feels good when the guys who are running the show say, 'We want to give him more at-bats and get you in the game and have you play more,'" Fontenot said. "It says they've been watching. I've had a couple decent seasons, and they want to get me in there more, which is nice. I'm always ready for the challenge, whatever they give me."

Expect to see a lot of the "Cajun Connection" of Fontenot and Theriot, who were teammates at Louisiana State University.

"We'll let them compete," Piniella said of Fontenot and Miles, "but at the same time, when we face a tough right-hander, I can play Miles at short and Fontenot at second. We can put a [left-handed hitting] right fielder in place, we can put [Micah] Hoffpauir at first base and give Lee a breather."

More on Hoffpauir later. The addition of Miles and switch-hitting outfielder Milton Bradley gives the Cubs more left-handed bats than they had last season. Piniella seems determined to give guys more rest. Who knows? They could have 162 different lineups.

"I like the fact that we're very versatile. I like that we can put different combinations on the field. We can rest the team," Piniella said. "From an offensive point of view, I think we stack up very, very well."

The Cubs do expect plenty of offense from Lee, who is coming off a strange season in which he did well statistically, but again was unable to come close to the power he showed in 2005, when he won the batting title. That year, Lee belted 46 homers and drove in 107 runs while putting up a .335 average. Last season, he hit .291 with 20 homers and 90 RBIs, and seemed to find himself starting double plays at inopportune times.

With Hoffpauir in the mix and capable of subbing at first, the Cubs may try to coax Lee into taking more days off. Hoffpauir has done nothing but hit, batting .342 in 33 games last season, and there is an opening for him on the final 25-man roster, taking over the role previously filled by Daryle Ward. But Hoffpauir has to show he can hit off the bench.

Ramirez is coming off a year in which he hit .289 with 27 home runs, 111 RBIs, and a career-high 44 doubles. He also set a personal high with a .380 on-base percentage. It was the sixth time in the last eight seasons that he has topped 100 RBIs. One thing that needs to be determined this spring is who will back him up. That was DeRosa's job, too.

Theriot finished sixth in the National League with a .307 average and ranked fourth in the Major Leagues with 58 multi-hit games. He led the NL with 154 singles. He has a career .259 average in the final month of the season and Piniella has said he'd like to have Theriot take a few more days off to stay fresh.

Nobody wants to come out of the lineup. Fontenot just wants to see his name in more.

"Last year, going into spring, I was trying to make the team," he said. "I was trying to fight, scratch, claw, do whatever I could to be the 25th guy. Now I have a chance to be a starter. I have my head on straight, like usual, and I'm just trying to get ready to play for the season.

"Everyone wants to be a starter and get a chance to play every day," Fontenot said. "If I have that opportunity, I definitely want to play every day."