Cubs agree to deals with Millar, Marmol

Two down, one to go.

The Cubs got the second of their three remaining arbitration-eligible players signed Thursday when closer Carlos Marmol agreed to a one-year deal worth $2.125 million.

Lefty Sean Marshall recently signed a one-year contract to avoid arbitration.

Marmol, who was paid $575,000 last year, had been seeking $2.5 million while the Cubs were offering $1.175 million, so the two sides split the difference.

Only shortstop Ryan Theriot remains as an unsigned arbitration-eligible player, and it's highly likely he and the Cubs are headed for a hearing. Theriot made $500,000 last year, and he wants $3.4 million. The Cubs are offering $2.6 million, but they apparently feel that the midpoint in this case, $3 million, is too high.

Marmol took over the closer's role from Kevin Gregg on Aug. 18 last year and went 11-for-11 in save chances, settling down after a rough start.

Marmol finished 2-4 with a 3.41 ERA and a WHIP (walks plus hits per 1 inning pitched) of 1.46. That high WHIP was fueled by 65 walks in 74 innings. Marmol also hit 12 batters.

In 2008, he had a tidy WHIP of 0.93 while going 2-4 with a 2.68 ERA.

He'll go to spring training in two weeks as the Cubs' closer. Last spring, he was beaten out by Kevin Gregg and expressed unhappiness about it at the time.

Millar deal done: The Cubs made it official Thursday, signing veteran first baseman-third baseman Kevin Millar to a minor-league contract with an invitation to big-league spring training as a nonroster man.

Millar, 38, had a batting/on-base/slugging line of .223/.311/.363 last year in 78 games with the Toronto Blue Jays. He had 7 homers and 29 RBI.

He'll battle nonroster players Chad Tracy and Bryan LaHair for a backup spot, but Tracy would seem to have the inside track, depending on what happens in spring training.

For his career, which began with the Florida Marlins in 1998, Millar has batted .274 with 170 homers and a .358 OBP.

TV schedule out: The Cubs' regular-season opener will be on WCIU Ch. 26 on April 5 at Atlanta. Comcast SportsNet will carry the next two games against the Braves, April 7 and 8.

WGN Ch. 9, which has carried Cubs games since 1948, doesn't get into the act until April 9 at Cincinnati. Channel 9 also carries the Cubs' home opener, April 12 vs. Milwaukee.

The Saturday, June 26 game against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field will begin at 6:10 p.m. and be televised by Fox Ch. 32 in Chicago.

All 162 regular-season games will be televised, either by the three local outlets, Fox or ESPN.

WGN gets a guaranteed 58 games, but that number could go up if ESPN and Fox decline games on their potential dates.

The Cubs have siphoned most games away from WGN in recent years for the additional revenue provided by cable TV.