2011 MLB Trade Rumors: Teams “Kicking the Tires” on Alfonso Soriano

Ken Rosenthol of Fox Sports is reporting that multiple teams are “kicking the tires” on Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano.  Rosenthol says that Soriano would best fit with an American League team who could use him primarily as a designated hitter.

Soriano is seen by many as un-tradable due to his lack of production and hefty contract.  But Rosenthol reports interest in the 35-year-old and says the Cubs are willing to eat a “significant portion” of the $54 million remaining on Soriano’s deal to facilitate a trade.

Cubs new president Theo Epstein has made it known that he is willing to move just about anyone as he looks to rebuild the storied franchise.

While Soriano certainly doesn’t warrant the $54 million he is owed over the next three seasons, he hit 26 home runs and collected 88 RBI’s in 2011.  Soriano has now tallied at least 20 home runs and 70 RBI’s in 10 straight seasons.

While he’s shown the ability to hit for extra bases throughout his career, Soriano has many flaws that figure to keep teams only mildly interested in adding him this winter.  Even when Soriano was carrying a batting average north of .250, he still wasn’t getting on base at a good clip.  Soriano’s career OBP is a meager .323 and he finished 2011 only reaching base 29% of the time.

The other problem with Soriano is finding a position for him.  Though he played the infield early in his career, Soriano has been relegated primarily to the outfield for the past several years.  Unfortunately for Soriano and the Cubs, he’s not particularly good out there either.

It is for this reason that Rosenthol and others expect that, if Soriano ever is traded by the Cubs, he will be moved to an AL club that can hide his poor defense by utilizing the DH position.

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