Somebody Pinch Me!

Do you believe in miracles?!  Am I dreaming?  Somebody pinch me!  It is being reported that the Cubs, yes our Cubs, have signed Alfonso Soriano.  So of the top three position players that were available on the free agent market, Aramis Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano, and Carlos Lee, the Cubs have signed two of them!  Soriano will become the highest paid Cub by signing an eight-year deal worth an estimated $136 million.  The deal is contingent on Soriano passing a physical, major league sources said, and is expected to be announced on Monday.  It will  be the richest deal in Cubs history.  Soriano has a career .280 average, 208 home runs and 560 RBIs, with 210 stolen bases,   After a year when the Cubs had anemic power numbers and were outhomered at home by the oppostition, the Cubs now have three players who have hit 35 or more home runs in a season in their starting lineup.  Boy, when the Cubs talked about shaking things up, I never knew they were going to go this far.  When asked about the flurry of activity from the Cubs this off season, Jim Hendry replied ;

"We won 66 ballgames.  We darn sure better be aggressive. That’s what we told people we were going to do. We started with the manager we hired. We’ll do whatever we can that’s good for the ballclub. "

I will officially put Jim Hendry back on my Christmas card list after his dismal 2004 and 2005 off season.  Right now I am in shock. There were at least six other teams that were aggresively persuing Soriano.  He met with reps from the Phillies the other day, was rumored to be going to Houston, and was supposed to be the Angels top priority after not being able to sign Ramirez.  Last year, Soriano became a member of the 40-40-40 Club, 46 home runs, 41 stolen bases, and 41 doubles.  That was in cavernous RFK stadium.  Could you imagine how many home runs he would hit in hitter friendly parks like Wrigley Field, Minute Made Ball Park, or PNC? 

The Cubs have re-signed Ramirez, pitcher Kerry Wood , catcher Henry Blanco ,and Wade Miller. They also signed free-agent infielder Mark DeRosa to a and traded for left-handed reliever Neal Cotts.  Now Soriano. 

Let any talk about the Tribune being cheap or not caring about this team be put to rest.  Is this a risky move, especially considering it is an eight year deal?  Yes, but the complaint with the Trib is that they never go after the big free agent names, they always go after the over the hill, past their prime free agents.  Not anymore.

Now the talk is that Soriano would play left field.  No way can this happen.  Not for any team, especially the Cubs, who have one of the most difficult outfields to play in.  The smart move would be to unload Matt Murton, or use him as a bench player, and keep Soriano in left field.  What about center?  The Cubs could look at bringing up Felix Pie or resigning Juan Pierre.  They could also look for a free agent, like Kenny Lofton.  I think the best bet would be to bring Pie up.  All I know is that right now I am impressed and can’t wait for baseball to start.  Now the Cubs can really focus on their most pressing need, pitching. Could this be the start of something big?!  Is this our year?!  Is next year finally here? Stay tuned!!