St. Louis Post Dispatch Cardinals reporter Joe Strauss has suggested the Cardinals could look at Alfonso Soriano. Why not? The man has 412 career home runs and could instantly bolster the bench and outfield depth. Unless you are counting on Peter Bourjos to crank 3 run home runs every game or Shane Robinson to hit one past the warning track, this bench could use any kind of boost. Soriano is a great power source.
In 2013, between the Cubs and Yankees, Soriano hit 34 home runs, drove in 101 and slugged .489. Nobody on the Cardinals did that last year and you would have to combine 4 different players on the 2014 team to equal the home runs Soriano hit in 2013. John Mozeliak has nothing to lose in bringing Soriano onto the team.
He was having a down year with the Yankees before being released in July. Soriano has 6 home runs and 23 RBI and hitting .221 for the season. A change in scenery and going back to the NL Central where he did a ton of damage over the years could help. The Cards are anemic offensively, so anything could help at this point. If a gardening tool could put a dent in a baseball right now, the Cards would have to consider it.
Soriano is 38 years old and is an all or nothing swinger. He doesn’t walk, strikes out a ton but is a proven power bat. He could log a few starts in right field when Oscar Taveras needs a break or spell Matt Holliday in left field. He isn’t a bad defender at all and he would give the Cards something else they don’t have. An outfield arm that can throw out runners at the plate. Soriano had 12 assists the past two years. He has a plus arm and can cut down runners at any base.
Taking a flier on Soriano to pick up an ailing offense wouldn’t be any more harmful than bringing in A.J. Pierzynski to supply more edge to a lagging clubhouse. The Yankees will more than likely be  paying his salary for the rest of the season. The Cards would be getting productivity and not even have to pick up the tab at the end of the night. Imagine walking into Tucker’s Restaurant, ordering a steak, devouring it and not having to pay the twenty dollars for it. Soriano’s 8 year, 136 million dollar contract expires at the end of the season and if the Dominican Republic native wants to keep playing, he gets two months to prove it to another team.
Soriano has told friends he is taking the rest of the 2014 season off. I buy that as much as I buy a musician telling me he is retiring.
With the right offer, Soriano will play so he can beef up his prospects for 2015. If the Cardinals are thinking clearly and want to help their dead weight offense, they would be smart to check in on Alfonso Soriano.
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2 comments
I wouldn’t have a problem with the Cards picking up Soriano if it meant the end of Daniel Descalso or Shane Robinson
Yes sir. Me neither.
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