Kerry Wood went on the disabled list after throwing 26 1/3 innings this season. Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
	MAILBAG Tom Verducci will answer select questions from SI.com users in his Baseball Mailbag. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

Should the Cubs convert Kerry Wood into a closer?
-- Guy Beaudry, Winnipeg, Canada

Hmm, not a bad idea. Obviously, Wood is being paid starter's money and if he's healthy he's most valuable to the Cubs if he can give them 200 innings, not 70. But maybe he's only going to stay healthy if they limit his work. The deal with Wood, though, is that it's not overuse that makes him vulnerable to injury, but mechanics. The Cubs may finally be getting through to him about paying more attention to his mechanics (including more video study). They still have to exhaust all chances that he can be a top-flight starter.

Mel Stottlemyre's bio states that the Yankees' pitching has been in the top five in ERA in six of the past nine years -- but bullpen vs starters isn't broken down. Is his staff's record more a reflection of the quality of the starters (where dollars count)? Is it reasonable to assume that most other pitching coaches could perform as well if they had the same resources?
-- Red Grunion, Cincinnati

The Yankees have won championships with terrific starting pitching, the kind of starters who went deep into games. That's going to make any staff look good. But give Stottlemyre this much: for the most part he keeps his pitchers healthy and sharp.

Is it possible that the Yankees can just "eat" this year and fix their pitching staff for next season or are they locked into all these guys for years to come? Also, is there a strategy behind the Yanks always picking up older free agents, particularly when it comes to pitching?
-- Larry Miller, New York City

Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano, Jaret Wright and Mike Mussina aren't going anywhere. Kevin Brown and his $15 million come off the payroll after this season. The Yankees won't be able to resist going after Marlins right-hander A.J. Burnett. The Yankees spend more money on starting pitching than any other team because they have the cash and they know it's the most important part to building a winner.

I find it interesting that you have taken a strong stance against the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball yet sang the praises of Brewers closer Derrick Turnbow in your column Tuesday. Didn't Turnbow test positive for steroids as a member of Team USA last year?
-- Dave Roberts, Hoboken, N.J.

Turnbow tested positive for andro, which was banned by the Olympics testing program at the time. He thought because he was part of the 40-man Angels' roster that the MLB collective bargaining agreement took precedent. Bad mistake. It was actually 2003. It's been reported and referred to many times since then.