MLBTR reports that The Yankees and Cubs are in agreement on a trade that will send Alfonso Soriano back to the Yankees, the team he started his professional career, pending approval from Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig. The Cubs will receive a Class-A pitching
prospect in exchange. ESPN's Buster Olney reports
that the Yankees will pay $6.8MM of the roughly $24.5MM remaining on
Soriano's contract -- $1.8MM in 2013 and $5MM in 2014.
Soriano's Cub teammates are bitter sweet about the move. Despite certain fan opinion, Soriano was well liked by his teammates and coaches. He was a professional. He handled the down times with class. Despite injuries, he continued to play left field.
But Soriano was the tarnished symbol of fan expectations. He was the big time free agent the Cubs needed to win the series. But his huge contract and poor post season statistics when the Cubs were swept twice in the first round of the playoffs, made Soriano a target.
He did do what he was supposed to do. Since 2007 as a Cub, he hit home runs and drove in runs. For his 6.5 years as a Cub, he hit .264 BA, 181 HR, 526 RBI and 70 SB. His defense was below average because he had a fear of running into the wall. Many line drives and deep flies fell over his head. But he continued to work on improving his defense.
He got tagged as a player who thrives in non-pressure situations, like playoff caliber teams. Soriano was a free swinger at the plate which also lead to a reputation of being a stats-first player. But during his entire Cub era, most of all his teammates were in the same role since the Cubs could not manufacture a run.
It is ironic that Soriano ends his career as the Cubs best current hitter and leading base stealer.
There has been much made about the concept of team chemistry. The attitude of team leaders will mold a team into a style of play. Soriano's laid back style and quiet speech may have given us the impression that there was little drive or passion. That the team would rather go through the motions than hustle for a victory. There is complacency in losing year after year. As a club house leader, Soriano has to take some of the blame for the team record of mediocrity.
The Cubs have tried for years to get rid of Soriano even though the team had no prospect ready to replace him. Junior Lake is on a debut tear, but scouts will figure out holes in his swing in a few weeks. Whether Lake can adjust to continue to make consistent contact will have to be seen.
The only thing the trade does for the Cubs is give them about $6 million in salary relief, or 1.2 percent of the redevelopment costs of Rickettsville. It would not be surprising that the marching orders to the trade deadline is to pare back more salary moving forward.
Soriano did what he was brought to Chicago to do: hit home runs. The Yankees are buying a hitter in the twilight of his career, but who is still productive at age 37 with 17 HRs and 51 RBI. Soriano gets one last chance for a World Series ring, even though New York has many teams to catch in the AL East. Soriano agreed to the deal (after passing on others) because he is a sentimentalist. His career goes first circle now; back to the club that gave him his first pro start.
