Business Must Be Good

Soriano signs with Cubs for 8 years, $136 million.

Word was that the Cubs were "going for it" in 2007. Word also was that Alfonso Soriano was looking for "Carlos Beltran money."

Well the Cubs are apparently going all out and Soriano has his Beltran money.

Rival GMs will be cursing the Cubs this offseason; the Soriano contract sets a market level that means that many average to slightly above-average free agents will be getting a lot more money this year than they otherwise might have.

But purely in baseball terms . . . is it a good signing?

Having seen the Alfonso Soriano show up close and personal for several years, I want no part of him. The most useful thing he did for the Yankees was get us A-Rod. He remains a tremendously gifted player with zero heart and zero hustle. He'll be 31 at the start of this contract . . . an eight-year deal? I know that these long-term deals are entered intp knowing the team get its money's worth up front and way overpays in the end years. But still . . . six years for $108 million wouldn't have done it?

But looking at it just in baseball terms . . .

This past season -- .277, 46 HRs, 95 RBI in 159 games. Nice home run numbers in a park not conducive to them. But . . . 95 RBI? Even on a bad team he coudn't figure out how to drive in 100? In his six years of playing full time, he's only driven in 100 runs twice, and five of those six years he played on great hitting teams.

And the biggest offensive issue with Soriano: 67 walks and 160 strikeouts. Soriano has the same holes in his swing he had as a rookie years ago. Why any pitcher throws him a fastball, ever, is beyond me. Discipline is a word unknown to him in his approach at the plate.

Defensivley, much was made of Soriano's 22 assists in the outfield this past year. Much less often mentioned is his 11 errors, trailing only Adam Dunn among MLB outfielders last year. Soriano doesn't care about defense and never has.

The rumor I've heard is that the Cubs intend to play Soriano in center field and to bat him leadoff. Those would be two massive mistakes. Hide Soriano in left field, where his defensive deficiencies hurt you the least. And you can't bat Soirano leadoff in a National League lineup -- him hitting 40 solo home runs isn't going to help the team very much overall. I'm assuming the Lou Piniella is smart enough to bat Soriano fourth, or fifth.

Soriano is a deeply flawed player capable of occaisionally astounding things. The Cubs massively overpaid . . . suddenly Jeter's $18 million a year begins to look like a bargain, not to mention the piece of A Rod's salary the Yankees are paying, by comparison.