The Chicago Tribune’s Paul Sullivan reported Wednesday that OF Alfonso Soriano, a long-standing financial burden to the rebuilding Cubs, has spoken with GM Theo Epstein about his willingness to waive his no trade clause before the deadline.
“He asked for a couple days to think about it,” Epstein said. “He said he’ll get back to us in a couple days and let us know where he’ll go, if anywhere, and then at that point it’s up to us if we want to move forward and finalize a deal.”
Soriano confirmed the Yankees are on the list of teams he would be willing to go to. He spoke with his family and said they “support me” in any decision he makes.
“I’m 37,” Soriano said. “I want one more chance to go to the World Series. If (the Cubs) don’t have that on their mind (and) they’re preparing the team for 2015 or 2016, it’s too late for me. At the same time, I try to be a champion here. If not, I’ve got to try and do that with another team.”
Would Soriano say no to the Yankees?
“No, no, no, no,” he said.
Soriano’s sudden desire to play for a contender is somewhat curious considering we’re just a year past his rejecting two overtures from a San Francisco Giants team that, y’know, won the World Series last season. At the time, Soriano argued that San Francisco meant contending with “not good weather to play”, which was a hell of condemnation from someone who’s played several Aprils in Chicago.