Cubs have interest in Bosio

The Cubs have asked the Milwaukee Brewers for permission to talk with Chris Bosio about being the team’s pitching coach, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The newspaper added that Brewers general manager Doug Melvin has granted permission.

The Cubs also have offered salary arbitration to free-agent first baseman Carlos Pena and to free-agent third baseman Aramis Ramirez. The Cubs did not offer arbitration to pitcher Kerry Wood, but they hope to re-sign him.

Also not offered arbitration were outfielder Reed Johnson and pitchers Ramon Ortiz and John Grabow.

Ramirez is expected to decline arbitration and sign elsewhere. If Pena accepts, he automatically returns to the Cubs for 2012, but they still can re-sign him if he rejects the arbitration offer.

New Cubs manager Dale Sveum and Bosio were Brewers teammates from 1986-91. They also served together briefly on the Milwaukee coaching staff in 2009.

Bosio most recently has worked as pitching coach for the Brewers’ Class AAA Nashville farm club. He began the 2011 season as an advance scout before being named interim pitching coach at Nashville and getting the full-time job in late September.

If hired, Bosio would replace Mark Riggins, who served only one year as the Cubs’ pitching coach.

Bosio pitched for the Brewers from 1986-92 before pitching for the Seattle Mariners from 1993-96. He compiled a lifetime record of 94-93 with a 3.96 ERA.