Speaking of which, despite the ridiculous number of year on the contract, the Chubs might actually be serious about contending (or at least putting butts in seats) with the signing Alfonso Soriano. Yes, they gave a 30 yr old too many years (8 year for $136 mill). Yes, they will probably stick him in a brand new position (center field, on a team filled with rookie pitchers that need all the help they can get). Yes, he is a little sensitive to getting his own way, like never taking pitches, and preferring to waste his 40+ home runs batting leadoff, but still. Sounds like another Dominican slugger we know.The NL Central division leader won 83 games, a scant 4 games above break-even. A healthy season from Derrek Lee, along with the addition of Soriano, could make up a lot of ground in a very mediocre division (and a very weak league) could have the Cubs in the hunt late into September. Whether they get a playoff spot or not probably depends more on the pitching than the hitting, but a staff headed by Carlos Zambrano and Rich Hill is a good start.
The positional lineup looks set for the Chubs:
1. Soriano, CF, R
2. Murton, LF, R
3. Lee, 1b, R
4. Ramirez, 3b, R
5. Jones, RF, L
6. Barrett, C, R
7. DeRosa, 2b, R
8. Izturis, SS, S
Piniella will probably go with the nonsensical Baseball Lifer (TM) logic of having the small fast guy hit near the top of the lineup, so Barrett will probably bat lower, and Izturis, OBP sinkhole though he may be, will hit second. Piniella also has the non-logic of Izturis being "a lefty hitter to break up the block of righthanded hitters" to back him up. Anyway, it's still decent, although only Lee and Barrett take pitches with any regularity. Now all the Cubs need is some pitching (closer, then starter) and they're set.
"Everybody wants to win, so that's the most important for me." -- Alfonso Soriano, former Texas Ranger.
