The Orioles and Cubs discussed a trade involving OF Alfonso Soriano, according to Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports. Soriano has been known as a potential trade candidate for months, and there were rumors that the Orioles and Cubs had discussed a trade involving him before.
At least eight AL teams have discussed Soriano over the past six weeks, according to ESPNChicago.com. He is largely viewed as a DH, due to his defensive liability in LF. The Cubs also owe Soriano $54MM over the next 3 years, making it a necessity for them to eat a large portion of his contract in any potential deal.
Soriano, 36 on Saturday, posted a .244/.289/.469 batting line with a .325 wOBA, .266 BABIP, and 26 HR for the Cubs in 2011. His OPS+ in 2011 was only 104, which was well below the OPS+ of current Orioles’ Nick Markakis (109 OPS+), Adam Jones (114 OPS+) and Nolan Reimold (113 OPS+).
It would be a curious move for the Orioles if they did follow through with a potential deal. They already have five OF on their current projected 25-man roster (Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, Nolan Reimold, Endy Chavez, Jai Miller), and one could argue that he is nothing more than an average player at this point in his career.
