Cubs Notes: Soriano, Epstein, Adams, Samardzija

The Cubs dealt Matt Garza yesterday and are exploring a deal to send Alfonso Soriano to the Yankees, though that trade is far from complete (if it happens at all).  Here's the latest from Wrigley Field…

• The Garza negotiations were "pretty all-consuming" for the organization, Theo Epstein told reporters (including Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune).  With that deal now settled, Epstein said his team "can focus on some other things that we thought would happen closer to the deadline."
• Epstein tells reporters (including MLB.com's Carrie Muskat) that the Yankees aren't the only team who have called about Soriano.
• A "large gap" exists between the Cubs and Yankees about Soriano's value, ESPN's Buster Olney tweets.  The two teams are also far apart in determining how the $24.9MM remaining on Soriano's contract will be split up.
• CBS Sports' Jon Heyman believes the Cubs will end up paying more than half of Soriano's remaining salary and that a Soriano-to-New York deal "simply makes too much sense" for either side to balk.
• The Cubs have shown interest in Yankees third baseman David Adams in the past, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (Twitter link), though Sherman isn't sure if Adams' name has come up in the Soriano trade talks.
• Jeff Samardzija tells Carrie Muskat that he hasn't thought much about a long-term extension with the Cubs.  "I haven't had too many talks with my agent outside of bill paying and insurance paying and taxes, which are always the most fun conversations. We'll see what happens in the offseason," Samardzija said.  The right-hander is controlled through the 2015 season and has two remaining years of arbitration eligibility.  The two sides discussed an extension in the offseason but not much progress was made.