Miles looks forward to playing Cardinals
St. Louis baseball fans loved the way Aaron Miles played, but now his allegiance is Cubbie blue, not Cardinal red.
The 32-year-old infielder is looking forward to seeing his former teammates.
"It will be fun," Miles said before a spring-training workout Friday in Mesa, Ariz. "I have a lot of friends over there. Hopefully when we play there, I'll get a little bit of applause. I'm sure there will be some boos mixed into it."
Miles signed a two-year, $4.9 million contract with the Cubs on Dec. 31, the same day the team traded Mark DeRosa to Cleveland.
This spring, Miles and Mike Fontenot will duel for DeRosa's former spot at second base.
"Obviously, the better I play, the more I'll play," Miles said. "I've been fortunate to be in a bunch of different roles. I think that's the big reason I'm here is my flexibility, my versatility, a little bit of everywhere."
• Manager Lou Piniella said he would like to use closer candidate Carlos Marmol in two games before Marmol leaves camp to represent the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. Marmol reportedly will decide by today if he is leaving. Right-hander Kevin Gregg is the other main closer possibility.
• Left-hander Bill White, a nonroster invitee, failed his physical and was released. Replacing him as a non-roster invitee will be right-hander Brian Schlitter.
Contreras update: Veteran starter Jose Contreras has made rapid progress in his recovery from a ruptured Achilles' tendon surgery, an injury he got last August. White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said Contreras will pitch in a game sometime this spring.
"If you give Contreras the ball to be on the mound right now, he'll start the game. That's how good he feels," Guillen said.
The timetable for veteran RHP Bartolo Colon, who had elbow chips removed last October, is not as clear. "If Bartolo is healthy, I'm going to predict this - if we have Contreras and Colon - watch out. It's going to be a pretty good club," Guillen said.
Sox survey says: Ozzie Guillen's first two days of spring training have been spent surveying two of several spots up for grabs. He's watched RHP Jeff Marquez, acquired from the Yankees, because he's a candidate for a spot in the rotation. And he also has had an eye on third basemen Josh Fields and Dayan Viciedo. Other spots to be won in the spring are in center field, where Dewayne Wise, Brian Anderson and Jerry Owens are the candidates. And second base is also open, where Chris Getz, Brent Lillibridge and Jayson Nix are competing.