Sunday, November 19, 2006

Soriano to Become a Cub

Surprise, surprise, surprise…

The greatest GM in the history of baseball, Sir Jim Hendry, has reportedly signed Alfonso Soriano. The contract is rumored to be for 8 years and $136 million, although some sources claim it is a six year deal with years seven and eight as option years.

Okay, I’m being a bit hypocritical kissing up to Hendry, but let’s give credit where credit is due. Hendry ponied up the years/money he needed to bring Soriano to the Cubs and to keep him away from the Angels and Phillies who were both in hot pursuit of him. I know that some people will criticize Big Jim, but the guy did what he had to do.

In previous posts, I have stated that for the Cubs to ever turn into the perennial front runner that we want them to be, they are going to have to change their attitude and approach. When John McDonough became team president, he signaled a change in the organization’s attitude when he said that he was hired to build a winning ball club. Now Hendry is showing that the team’s approach is also changing. Rather than avoiding top free agents, Hendry has managed to sign the top two available free agent position players this off-season (ARam and Soriano). These changes bode well for the Cubs in the future.

Hendry’s work this off-season is not over yet, but he has started the winter in spectacular fashion. In a radio interview, Lou Piniella indicated that Soriano would likely lead-off and play one of the corner outfield positions. With CF being a gapping hole, Piniella’s comments would seem to indicate that more moves are planned. Could Andruw Jones or Vernon Wells be heading to the north side? Sweet Lou's comments also indicated that either Murton or Jones may have just become trade bait.

Of course, starting pitching is an area that needs significant attention. I’ve been reading that Jake Westbrook and/or Jason Jennings could be obtained via trades. Both would do well in Wrigley Field, but I think the point is that the Cubs will probably not be improving their starting rotation via free agency. Maybe one trade and one signing? Who knows for sure? Before I start worry about that tomorrow, I’m going to enjoy the Soriano signing right now.

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