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Alfonso Soriano

Did Soriano Contract Help Phillies Win World Series?

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Following the '06 season, the Cubs signed Alfonso Soriano to an eight-year, $136MM contract. Among the teams interested in Soriano at the time were the Phillies.

Paul Hagan of the Philadelphia Inquirer looks back at that off-season and suggests that the non-signing allowed the Phillies to build the team that ultimately won the World Series.

The rumor was that the Phillies might be willing to consider a deal in the $100 million range…While there's no way of knowing exactly how the script might have played out had Soriano chosen red pinstripes, one thing can be said with absolute certainty: The money that would have been funneled to him would not have been available to spend elsewhere…Since then, they've tied up Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Brett Myers and Cole Hamels with multiyear deals. They made midseason trades that added significant contracts for Cliff Lee, Joe Blanton and Kyle Lohse. They increased the payroll when they acquired Brad Lidge…They've signed free agents (Raul Ibanez, Pedro Feliz, Chan Ho Park) to plug holes. They've been able to keep virtually every potential free agent and arbitration-eligible player they've wanted to.

Hagan makes a strong case. However, it should be noted that the best offer the Phillies reportedly made to Soriano was for only $73MM.

Cubs May Not Need Hitter After All

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Rumblings after Wednesday's game coming from the often-rumbling Lou Piniella centered around changes in the lineup.

But as Carrie Muskat reported, the Cubs kept the status quo in place, particularly Alfonso Soriano at the top of the lineup, despite a sub-.300 on-base percentage.

Of course, the storyline from Thursday's 6-5 win is that Soriano had the game-winning hit as Chicago's bats came alive.

But while much of the focus will be on the rejuvenated offense, the questions surrounding ownership transfer may be the real barrier to the Cubs bringing in a bat. Tip of the hat to Carrie Muskat again.

The two questions here: do the Cubs have their finances set enough to add payroll? And does Carrie Muskat ever sleep?

Cubs Rumors: Ibanez, Abreu, Teahen

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Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times has a couple of new Cubs articles up, here and here.

  • Manager Lou Piniella would prefer the Cubs acquire a middle of the order hitter over a leadoff man, if only one can be acquired.
  • Piniella had kind words for possible free agent target Raul Ibanez.
  • Piniella continued to dismiss the idea of the Cubs pursuing Jake Peavy (despite recent comments from Padres GM Kevin Towers).
  • He’d like to give Mike Fontenot more playing time in 2009, which would help balance the lineup.  In the spring the Cubs will see if Fontenot can chip in at shortstop.
  • The idea that the Cubs can only move Alfonso Soriano down in the order if they acquire a known leadoff man lives on.
  • Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News reported on Friday that the Cubs had expressed interest in Bobby Abreu.  Wittenmyer says that’s not true.
  • Wittenmyer also reports a lack of movement on the Mark Teahen front, suggesting Phil Rogers’ recent report of Kansas City’s focus on Sean Marshall and Fontenot "continues to ring of hollow speculation."

Manny Ramirez Rumors: Sunday

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As we await an offer from the Dodgers to Manny Ramirez, the notion is often floated that a six year contract for Manny is better suited for an American League team. There he can spend the latter half of his deal, presumably the final years of his career, transitioning to DH.

Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune reports that Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi confirmed that he has interest in Manny Ramirez.  Rogers quotes Ricciardi: "I’ve always liked him," Ricciardi told the Toronto Sun. "But obviously getting him and liking him are two different things."  We’ve heard this before here.

Rogers goes on to explain that if Manny is going to wind up on a team in Chicago, it would first require a trade. The Cubs will need to deal Alfonso Soriano, as we discussed last week, and the White Sox would need to trade Paul Konerko or Jermaine Dye for either team to be able to afford Ramirez. The article mentions a bad history between White Sox Owner Jerry Reinsdorf and Scott Boras, but it does give credit to Ken Williams’ craftiness and Manny’s power potential as a righty in U.S. Cellular Field. Jim Thome and Manny hitting back-to-back would be imposing to say the least.

Cubs Considering Manny?

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From the speculative rumor mill, Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune suggests Manny Ramirez could be what the Cubs are missing, and the opportunity to bring him to Chicago could be there this offseason.  Says Rogers,

"With the aggressive nature of general manager Jim Hendry and the anything-to-win approach in the Lou Piniella era, don’t rule this out—not if the Dodgers would take on a big contract or two from the Cubs…

There’s no way the Cubs can play two left fielders, so [Alfonso] Soriano would have to go for Ramirez to come. Soriano seems to be essentially an immovable object with six years and $106 million left on his contract, but the Dodgers will need two things if they don’t re-sign Ramirez—power hitting and another buzz guy."

Rogers cites bad contracts on both teams that could facilitate a deal, but I think this is a reach. The Cubs would need to deal Soriano or Aramis Ramirez, both with no-trade clauses, specifically to the Dodgers to free up enough cash to sign Manny who’s seeking a 6 year contract with "iconic money". This would also hinge on the contingency that the Dodgers would pass on Manny to acquire Soriano or Aramis Ramirez, both of whom paled in comparison this offseason.

Odds and Ends: Springer, Sheffield, Bonds

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How about some weekend odds and ends?

  • Free agent reliever Russ Springer intends to pitch next year, and he prefers the Cardinals.  The Cards haven’t discussed a contract with him, though, and they might prefer their younger (and cheaper) righthanded relievers.
  • Dave Cameron thinks Nate Robertson might be a sleeper, based on his peripheral stats.  Boof Bonser is another pitcher whose ERA didn’t match up with his other numbers this year.
  • Peter Woodfork apparently bowed out of the Mariners GM job competition after his interview.  The Ms could decide between Tony LaCava, Jerry DiPoto, Kim Ng, and Jack Zduriencik by Tuesday.
  • Scott Boras won a $550K decision against former client Gary Sheffield.  Will Sheff make good on his February promise to say "ugly things" about Boras now?
  • Phil Rogers speculates on Manny Ramirez in a Cubs uniform, but admits they’d have to somehow move Alfonso Soriano first.  Small obstacle: $106MM owed to Soriano over the next six years, plus his full no-trade clause.
  • Yahoo’s Tim Brown says Barry Bonds could be awarded $100MM or more if the players union wins its collusion case.  Bonds would like to play in 2009, but no one expects it.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Brian Roberts

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It seems as though all the players we thought we would be traded this off-season, have been traded, minus one…Brian Roberts. The oft-rumored deal to send Roberts to the Cubs continues to linger. Ken Rosenthal first suggested that Roberts would be a good fit for the Cubs back in early December and Jeff Zrebiec confirmed the Cubs interest. Then the deal may have been dead, with the O’s asking price too high and by the end of January Gordon Wittenmyer suggested Cubs had turned their focus to Marlon Byrd. Then according to Jon Heyman a deal appeared imminent. Rosenthal thought the O’s insisting on the inclusion of Felix Pie was a deal-breaker. But then Baltimore acquired Adam Jones and Chris De Luca noted the deal might have life. But now Heyman wonders if the proposed package(s) is not enough and if Peter Angelos will nix a deal, as Roberts is one of his favorite players. Now that Spring Training has begun we have to wonder if a deal can still get done. let’s take a look at how the Roberts deal is being handled in the blogosphere.

If there is a topic you would like to see covered in "Baseball Blogs Weigh In" please let me know HERE.

  • View From the Bleachers sees Roberts as a nice addition but not a necessity as he may only be a slight upgrade from Eric Patterson. They don’t see the deal as a "foregone conclusion" considering the players being offered by the Cubs.
  • Camden Chat is not impressed with the Cubs offer, but they wonder if Roberts is worth keeping.
  • Another Cubs Blog sees the signing of Alex Cintron by the Cubs as a sign that the Cubs are making progress towards getting a deal done.
  • Ivy Chat wonders if the Cubs have enough in the system to obtain both Roberts and Joe Nathan. While they would like both, they would prefer Nathan.
  • Crawley’s Cub Kingdom notes that Alfonso Soriano’s legs are not 100% and that he may not be suited to lead off in 2008, increasing the need for Roberts.
  • A Hundred Next Years is not sure the upgrade from Mark DeRosa to Roberts is worth the price.
  • Wrigleyville23 calls it "The Roberts Rain Delay" and notes that the political process here in the U.S. actually moves faster than trade discussions between the Cubs and the O’s.
  • Orioles Fan Base talked to our own Tim Dierkes about this situation.

By Cork Gaines

Thoughts On The Soriano Deal

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Hi everyone, Tim here.  I thought I would check in briefly on this little contract that the Cubs have extended to Mr. Soriano.  I just can’t resist.  The wedding yesterday was perfect; we’re jetting off to Cancun on Tuesday.  I am a lucky man.  The lovely Mrs. Dierkes is all tuckered out after the big weekend, so here are some random thoughts.

From a Cubs fan point of view: I love the Alfonso Soriano signing.  As fans often say to justify insane contracts: "It’s not my money; I just want to win."  I agree with that philosophy.  The Yankees might take some heat for the way they throw around cash, but I think that’s rooted in jealousy.  One has to think Red Sox fans will back off on the Evil Empire stuff now that their team just bid $51.1 mil to talk to a pitcher.  Fans just want to win, right now.  Doesn’t matter if Soriano is a $17MM bench warmer in 2014. 

I don’t think anyone can believe it took eight years, though.  Six, for sure.  We figured the seventh year from someone might be the clincher.  But eight?  No one saw this coming.  But is this the worst contract ever, or whatever various blogs are claiming?  Of course not.  Todd Helton?  Even Darren Dreifort?  This is not the worst contract ever or anything close to that.  This is an athletic player who will probably age well.  Soriano has proven quite durable, and he’s not anchored to first base.  This is premium offense for a position where a .440 SLG is above average.

Is Soriano one of those players who learns to take a walk as he enters his early 30s?  The Cubs are rolling the dice on that one.  A player doesn’t nearly double his walk rate by accident, true, but one season doesn’t necessarily indicate a trend.  If Soriano throws up a .310 OBP for the Cubs in 2007, well, this deal will look considerably worse.  We just don’t know yet.

The second gamble for the Cubs is that Soriano can play a decent center field.  I think he can.  The tools are there; he should be above average by 2008.  Of course, I’m no scout, but it’s not like someone is wishcasting Carlos Lee as a CF. 

Is the money really that crazy?  I don’t think so.  Soriano may not be "worth it," but the supply of 40 HR center fielders consisted of only him.  The demand was huge, the dollars and desperation were there.  Comparing this to the Beltran and Guerrero contracts is silly.  To do so implies that the market has remained the same for three years.  What?  Come on now.  We all thought Derek Lowe at four years, $36MM was absurd.  All of us except Paul DePodesta.  Pitching exploded and it’s a bargain now.  Manny’s contract is looking OK now.  Soriano will never be a bargain.  But Andruw Jones could snag a contract next year at, say, $175MM over eight years.  Baseball is changing.

For once in this Cubs fan’s life, the team appears to be pulling a 1997 Marlins: just going for broke.  Better living through free agency.  It’s not a brilliant plan, and it’s not an efficient way to build a long-term winner.  And yes, desperation is a large factor.  But there’s no going back; the Cubs should drop another $15-18MM for two solid starters.

Bartman, the goat, Prior/Wood/Sammy – this crap is over.  Maybe Derrek Lee’s wrist, Aramis Ramirez’s "laziness", Soriano’s OBP, and Zambrano’s wildness will converge next year to make the Cubs a pricey 80 win team.  But even so, at least we can say for once that the Cubs are trying.  To quote Gammons:

"Admit it: The game is always healthier when the Cubs are good, and in a week they have made themselves a whole lot better."

Gotham Baseball: Rockies Want Milledge?

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One oif the more interesting things I heard in this week’s follow up calls after the GM Meetings was the Colorado Rockies’ interest in Lastings Milledge. 

Though I keep hearing from those inside and outside of the team’s inner circle that Milledge is still a player they expect to blossom in New York, I can’t help but think that the Mets are focused on moving forward…without Lastings.

Another very interesting tidbit was a rumor of the Tigers and Reds talking Adam Dunn

Go nuts, folks

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Alfonso Soriano.  Eight years.  $135 million.  Chicago Cubs.   Rosenthal has the scoop, though he doesn’t explicitly say that the Cubs are going to give him that money, just that that’s what he’s after.

As a Brewers fan, I’m thrilled that Hendry is blowing his wad on Sori.  Could be a great Cubs offense for a couple of years, but that can’t leave a whole lot to patch other holes.

UPDATE: It’s a little more official, and a little more expensive.

By Jeff Sackmann

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