When Alfonso Soriano was signed to an 8 year, 136 million dollar contract before the 1987 season, I was personally thrilled that the Cubs were playing the money game like the Yankees who are consistently stocked with talent, and always in the playoff mix. I thought to myself, "Finally! We can field a team of superstars!". Little did I know that the Soriano of 2007, would see a great drop off in numbers from the previous, 46 homer 41 stolen base, year, hitting 13 less homers and stealing 22 less bags, never again to return to the 2006 player that wowed everyone and garnered a huge contract. Yes, for 136 million the Cubs could have received the production of 2 Sorianos!
For the first few years of his bloated Cubs contract, his defense was shoddy, his hustle was abysmal, and he was injured for the first time in his career. We all watched him hobble on his shot knees in the summers of 2008 and 9, finally requiring surgery. We watched his batting average dip from around .300 to the mid 200's, his running game become nearly non existent, and his power drop off from his pre-Cub days, at least 10-15 homers per season. All this from a defensive wild card, and an aloof personality. But then something changed....
When Soriano came back from his knee surgery, it was as if a small fire had been lit under his butt. He renewed his commitment to being a great player again. He worked on his defense and got better. He hustled. He hit home runs again (32 last year), and he started stealing bases again (10 so far this year). Most importantly, he started having fun playing baseball, and it shows!
I go to a ton of Cub's games, both at Wrigley and on the road. When I'm at Wrigley, I prefer the fence leaning seats in Terrace reserved on either side of the stadium, but when I'm on the road, I like to sit by Soriano. It all started because of a traveling companion and lover who is hot for Soriano. She basically likes to sit behind him and check out his butt for three hours. But it's more than that! On the road, Soriano gives steely stares to opposing, jeering fans. He dances to the other team's walk up music, and most importantly he's a conducts himself as a professional, and he looks like a star. Regardless of his numbers, he has the "it" factor and he's fun to watch. Unlike Rizzo's mooky hunkiness, and Castro's slick boyish look, Soriano's a real man. He's a vet and he commands attention, even though his numbers don't deserve 18 million this year and next. He will be 38 years old during the last year of his contract next year, and with the Cubs going the "youth movement way", (Rizzo and Castro are both 23), they could really use a veteran to look up to. The Soriano of 6 years ago would NOT have been the man to be a leader to these youngsters, but the Soriano of today is perfect for that job. I hope they keep him around. Not just for his bat, but for who he is.
Now, I'm not an idiot. The Cubs have kept many fan favorites around too long just because they were popular. Even Ryne Sandberg probably should have been traded after 1993, because he was injured for a whole year, and his production dropped off considerably through 1997. What if the Cubs could have gotten a few prospects for him? Would the 90's have been any different for the North Side? So yeah, if we can get some great future stars, sure, trade Soriano, let him have a chance to return to New York, where he started. So many people still love him there. I lived in NYC for 18 years, and the gas station where I usually took my car, had a "Soriano Way" Yankees street sign hanging up, a decade after being a Yankee. I lived in a Dominican neighborhood, and he was still a fan favorite, even years after being on the team. Do you know who else's favorite player he is? My 7 year old and 5 year old niece's. And my girlfriends. And mine.
Theo and Jed are gonna do what they're gonna do. They're looking into the future and trying to trade their way to a lean, mean, and very young super nova that will win the World Series sometime in the next 5 years. They are the wonder boys after all, and we have to as fans, at least trust the process. If it doesn't work, it'll be the same story as always, and we can look forward to another lost decade. But if it does work, and the Cubs are constant contenders under the helm of the new Cubs brass, there will be nothing but rejoicing on the North Side. The Cubs will get young, and stay young, and its true, there's no room for Soriano in that equation. But I for one hope that Soriano at least plays out his contract in Chicago. He's not really blocking anyone except maybe now, Junior Lake, who has hit the majors like a storm, who's batting .529 in his first 4 games, and hit his first major league homer last night. But what of the intangibles of veteran leadership? Soriano, for better or worse, fills that role, all while remaining a fan favorite. The bleacher bums love him! Chicagoan's resist change, the Cubs have choked for 100 plus years, so yeah, it's time to try something different. But can't it wait one more year? Especially since it's projected the Cubs will have to eat most of the money anyway in any trade? Keep Soriano around for his bright white smile, his sweet swing, and his 'new found' commitment to greatness.
So Alfonso Soriano, if I've seen you play your last game as a Cub, thanks for the memories. I've booed you, cheered you, and laughed at and with you. I've sung the bunny hop song when you caught fly balls. I've cheered you in Spanish and English. We've shared smiles, and danced together to walk up music. And hopefully, the next time I see you it will still be in a Cubs uniform, and I can tell my niece, "Hey look! It's Alfonso Soriano!" Her eyes will light up, and she'll fall in love with baseball, and an aging Cub, just like I did when Andre Dawson hit 49 dingers for the last place Cubs in 1987, and Ryne Sandberg grew a handsome mustache. So, keep Soriano! Unless of course you can get something great for him worth 18 million smackers.
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