With Garrett Olson and Rich Hill both gone, Aaron Heilman in the fold and Neal Cotts the only lefty in the 'pen, will Sean Marshall be relegated to bullpen duty?
-- Thomas M., Gary, Ind.

Marshall is the front-runner for the fifth spot in the rotation. Lou Piniella has said he'll be OK if the team has only one left-handed reliever, which would be Cotts. Mike Remlinger was a left-handed pitcher who fared better against righties, limiting them to a .231 average, while lefties hit .260 off him.

Here are splits for some of the Cubs' relievers:

• Kevin Gregg vs. left-hand hitters .232; vs. right-handers .251

• Chad Gaudin vs. LHH .292; vs. RHH .256.

• Kevin Hart vs. LHH .274; vs. RHH .305

• Aaron Heilman vs. LHH .249; vs. RHH .241

• Jeff Samardzija vs. LHH .167; vs. RHH .276

• Luis Vizcaino vs. LHH .248; vs. RHH .238

Now that Daryle Ward is gone, who is going to be the everyday pinch-hitter? Will Micah Hoffpauir get a spot on the 25-man roster just to pinch-hit?
-- Raul R., Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

The hope is that Hoffpauir will do more than pinch-hit. Part of Piniella's plan this year is to give regulars like Derrek Lee more days off, and Hoffpauir could be a valuable sub at first base.

I've heard an awful lot about Josh Vitters with the Jake Peavy deal and all and wanted to know if the Cubs were thinking of giving him a chance to show what he can do to back up Aramis Ramirez at third in the Majors?
-- David M., Post Falls, Idaho

It wouldn't help Vitters' progress if he is a backup because he wouldn't be getting regular at-bats. Right now, Vitters needs to play every day.

Could you explain why they traded Mark DeRosa? If the answer is payroll, why didn't they trade him for something we need, like left-handed pitching in the bullpen?
-- Luis B., Mexico

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Cubs general manager Jim Hendry felt the only spot open for another left-handed bat was second base. If you look at the other position players -- Lee, Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano -- they are locked up in long-term deals. Lee and Ramirez both have no-trade clauses. Geovany Soto and Ryan Theriot are not players they want to bump from the lineup. Kosuke Fukudome and Reed Johnson will share center.

The only openings were right field and second base. This offseason, they added two switch-hitters for those spots in Milton Bradley and Aaron Miles and now feel they have a more balanced lineup. The problem I have with trading DeRosa is the Cubs have lost a player who could step in anywhere and the team didn't miss a beat. They aren't very deep in the infield. That's one reason they re-signed Andres Blanco, who batted .285 with Triple-A Iowa last year. He impressed the Cubs staff last spring. Who will backup Ramirez if he's hurt? If anyone is sidelined, it could become a problem.

Do you think Wrigley Field is going to have a major overhaul in the next couple years?
-- Zach B., Woodstock, Ill.

Management does have drawings for renovation work as well as plans for the so-called "triangle building" on Clark Street next to Wrigley, but whether that gets done depends on what the new owner wants to do.

Why would you take Paul Bako and his weak .217 average based on his left-handed stance? By the way, I'm a free-agent catcher and left-handed.
-- Regan R., Valparaiso, Ind.

Bako isn't guaranteed the job. What the Cubs want in a backup catcher is someone with experience, someone the pitchers are comfortable with, someone who can give Geovany Soto a breather, a left-handed bat, and someone who is happy being a backup. Koyie Hill is well liked by the pitchers, experienced and a switch-hitter. And he hit .275 last season at Triple-A Iowa in his comeback from a hand injury. Maybe he'll get it.

Do you know how to get Cubs vs. Yankees tickets for April 3-4 at Yankee Stadium?
-- Kelly K., Chicago

According to the Yankees Web site, they are not on sale yet. I would keep checking there.

Why doesn't Cubs management -- just as a publicity stunt and some humor -- bring a goat into Wrigley Field and walk him around the bases on Opening Day or get a mascot dressed as a goat? I really think it would be a crowd pleaser.
-- Paul T., Ephrata, Pa.

The Cubs did that in April 1994, when Ernie Banks led a goat into the ballpark while Steve Trachsel was warming up in the bullpen. It didn't work. In his first season as the Cubs manager, Piniella was asked by a Japanese TV crew to stomp on a stuffed goat-like toy to try to rid the team of the curse. That didn't work. Before Game 1 of the National League Division Series last October, a Greek Orthodox priest tried to remove the alleged curse near the Cubs dugout. You know what happened. Bottom line, neither Piniella nor the players believe in the curse.