Report: Yankees working to acquire Alfonso Soriano
The New York Yankees could be close to acquiring 37-year-old Alfonso Soriano, more than eight years after trading him away for Alex Rodriguez, according to a report in the New York Post.
Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer told MLB Network Radio the report was, "very premature."
Desperate for offense at a time when they are without Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson, among others, the Yankees could play Soriano in left field or at designated hitter. While not the offensive player he once was, Soriano has 17 home runs and 24 doubles for the Chicago Cubs, a rebuilding club that already has off-loaded Matt Garza, Scott Feldman, Scott Hairston and Carlos Marmol.
The Yankees have fallen to 12th in the American League in runs and 14th, ahead of only the Houston Astros, in team OPS. They haven’t hit for average. They haven’t hit home runs. As a result, the Yankees are seven games behind the AL East-leading Boston Red Sox and 4 ½ games out of the second wild card spot. So general manager Brian Cashman’s intent leading to the July 31 non-waiver deadline is to trade for an impact bat, preferably right-handed, and then to hope Jeter, Rodriguez and Granderson return to health.
Soriano would have to waive his no-trade clause, which he invoked a year ago to block a trade to the San Francisco Giants. His contract, which will pay him about $25 million, runs through 2014. Presumably, the Cubs would cover most of that.
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