CHICAGO -- There will be plenty of familiar faces on the Cubs' Minor League coaching staff. Former Cubs Bob Dernier, Mike Harkey and Steve Wilson have rejoined the organization.

Dernier, who played with the Cubs from 1984-1987, is the new Minor League outfield and baserunning coordinator. In 1987, he hit a career-best .317 with the Cubs, and his 119 stolen bases with Chicago rank 25th in franchise history.

Dernier has worked with several other ex-Cubs, including Steve Trout and Amos Otis, to conduct baseball camps for children. This year, Dernier tutored highly touted Minor League outfielder Felix Pie on his baserunning.

Harkey, who pitched with the Cubs in parts of five seasons from 1988-1993, will take over as Triple-A Iowa's new pitching coach. He compiled a 26-21 record and a 3.92 ERA in 71 starts for the Cubs.

Harkey was the Florida Marlins' bullpen coach in 2006 after serving as a Minor League pitching coach for the San Diego Padres from 2000-2005.

Wilson, a reliever with the Cubs from 1989-1991, has been named the organization's Pacific Rim scout. The Victoria, B.C., native was 10-13 with three saves and a 4.56 ERA in 106 games (23 starts) for the Cubs. Wilson began his career with the Texas Rangers, but was dealt to the Cubs in December 1988 in an eight-player deal which included Mitch Williams going to Chicago for Rafael Palmeiro and Jamie Moyer.

He has lived in Taiwan for the last 10 years, and spent the last two seasons as a part-time scout in Asia for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Before Rich Hill struck out 11 on Sept. 6 this season, Wilson was the last left-handed Cubs pitcher to reach double-digit strikeouts, doing so Sept. 10, 1989, against St. Louis, and also July 15, 1990, against Los Angeles. He fanned 10 both games.

The Cubs also hired former Cubs farmhand Casey Kopitzke and former Major Leaguer Dennis Lewallyn. Kopitzke, 28, is the new Minor League catching coordinator. He has been in the Cubs' Minor League system since he was drafted in the 27th round in 1999. He batted .239 in 30 games for Triple-A Iowa in 2006, and has a career .230 Minor League average.

Lewallyn joins the Cubs as Double-A Tennessee's pitching coach after spending the last 12 seasons in the Arizona Diamondbacks' Minor League operation. He played eight seasons in the Majors with the Dodgers (1975-1979), Texas (1980) and Cleveland (1981-1982). Lewallyn was most recently Arizona's Minor League pitching coordinator in 2005-2006.

Dave Bialas remains as the Cubs' Minor League Field Coordinator. In addition, Alan Dunn will begin his 15th season with the organization and takes over as pitching coordinator. Dunn was Triple-A Iowa's pitching coach last season. Dave Keller will handle hitting coordinator duties for the fourth straight season while Bobby Dickerson enters his second year as the organization's infield and bunting coordinator. Julio Garcia is the Cubs' Latin American field coordinator, a position he has held since 2005.

The complete list of Minor League managerial and coaching staff assignments will be announced later this month.

Roster moves: The Cubs have invited six players to the big-league spring camp, including former Cubs pitchers Les Walrond and John Webb and infielder Jason Smith. The others include pitchers Jason Anderson and Ben Howard, and catcher Koyie Hill. All six have seen Major League action.

Walrond, 30, was a Cubs spring invitee in 2006 and went 10-5 with a 3.98 ERA in 31 games for Triple-A Iowa. He joined the big-league club on Aug. 27, and was 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA in 10 games. The left-hander held left-handed batters to a .136 average.

Anderson, 27, spent 2006 with San Diego's Triple-A Portland team. The right-hander was 5-2 with four saves and a 3.29 ERA in a Pacific Coast League-high 60 relief appearances. He became a Minor League free agent on Oct. 15.

Anderson, who appeared in three games for the Yankees in 2005, has a 41-29 career Minor League record and 3.26 ERA in 275 games.

Howard, 27, split the 2006 season at the Triple-A level in Cleveland's and Toronto's organizations. The right-hander was 2-1 with 11 saves and a 3.98 ERA in 34 relief appearances with Triple-A Buffalo, and was released on July 16. He went 1-1 with an 8.83 ERA in 11 games for Syracuse. Howard made 31 relief appearances for Florida in 2004.

Webb, 27, spent 2006 with Triple-A Memphis, which is a St. Louis affiliate. The right-hander was 6-11 with a 4.18 ERA in 29 games (28 starts). He was originally selected by the Cubs in the 19th round of the 1999 First-Year Player draft, and pitched for Tampa Bay briefly in 2004-05.

Webb's career got off on the wrong foot. In February 2004, he broke his right fibula when he fell down some stairs walking his dog. He was claimed off waivers by Tampa Bay, spent most of his time in the Minor Leagues, but did appear in five games for the big-league club, and has an 0-1 record and 10.38 ERA.

Hill, 27, was claimed off waivers by the Yankees on April 6 of last season from the Arizona Diamondbacks. A switch-hitter, he played in 20 games, hitting .143 (10-for-70) with five RBIs, for Triple-A Columbus before an injured right elbow sidelined him from June 12 through the end of the season.

He has played in 50 Major League games with the Dodgers (2003) and Diamondbacks (2004-2005), and has a career Minor League average of .277.

Smith, 29, batted .263 in 49 games for the Colorado Rockies last season with one double, five homers and 13 RBIs. He was originally a 23rd-round draft pick by the Cubs in 1996, and was eventually dealt to Tampa Bay in the Fred McGriff deal in August 2001. Smith has seen Major League action with the Cubs (2001), Tampa Bay (2002-2003), Detroit (2004-2005) and Colorado (2006).

Rumor mill: The Cubs need to fill some vacancies in their starting rotation. Larry O'Brien, who represents free-agent pitcher Ted Lilly, said he's had a number of conversations with Cubs general manager Jim Hendry.

"Obviously, the money is going to be a priority," O'Brien said Wednesday. "[Lilly] is not going to necessarily take a huge discount to play for a team he thinks is going to be in the postseason. I think really we have enough clubs that we think are going to be really competitive.

"Chicago, for instance, they finished last in their division, but I think they can [turn it around]," O'Brien said. "They got decimated last year with their pitching. We're looking at them. Lou Piniella, he likes to win. They re-signed [Aramis Ramirez], they got [Mark] DeRosa from Texas. If Kerry Wood goes to the bullpen and can come in and do damage, all of a sudden that's a pretty good club."

Lilly, a left-hander, was 15-13 with a 4.31 ERA in 32 starts for Toronto last season.

New deal: Wood's new contract with the Cubs includes several incentives. Among them are monetary rewards for appearances, ranging from $300,000 for appearing in 40 games to $500,000 if he appears in 60 games. There's also incentives for games finished that range from $200,000 for 25 games finished to $500,000 for 50 games finished. And if Wood is on the active roster for 90 days, he'll pick up an additional $250,000.

Both he and pitcher Wade Miller also can receive additional money if they are named Comeback Player of the Year in 2007.