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Trade for Soriano
Soriano is offensive -- just why Mets need him
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Alfonso Soriano is acting stupid, immature, selfish and unprofessional.
And the Mets should trade for him.
Soriano's shocking refusal to take the field for the Washington Nationals on Monday night -- in protest of the team's orders to move from second base to left field -- creates an opportunity for the Mets. Last July, when the Texas Rangers were trying to deal Soriano, they kept asking the Mets for too much in return. Now, Washington should be willing to give him away.
And if that's the case, the Mets should take him.
To focus on the handful of things there are to dislike about Soriano is to lose sight of all there is to like about him. Sure, he's going to make $10 million this year. But his salary got that high for a reason.
Soriano is, at the bottom line, a huge bat. He is a player who once drove in 102 runs as the Yankees' leadoff hitter. He is a low on-base percentage guy, yes. But he hits home runs. Steals bases, too.
Kaz Matsui has been a mystery in his two years as a Met, but we know for certain that he is not (a) a quick healer or (b) a good second baseman. The Mets can count on his return from his latest knee injury if they want to, believing their lineup is good enough whether he hits or not. Or they can go out and get a guy who'll give them 35 home runs, 30 stolen bases and 100 RBI.
They can throw Anderson Hernandez out there, hoping he'll develop into an All-Star, or they can get a guy who's already been an All-Star four times.
With the Nationals having miscalculated the strength of Soriano's aversion to the outfield, the price should be much lower than it was last July. If it's Victor Diaz, or even if (wildest-dreams time here) the Nats would take back Matsui and part of his contract, Mets GM Omar Minaya should jump at this one.
Now, Mets fans are inclined to fear the worst, and history has provided many good reasons for this. But every argument against bringing Soriano to Queens has holes:
His defense is bad, yes, but it's not as if he'd be replacing Bill Mazeroski here. The Mets' current options are Matsui, who stinks at the position when healthy, or Hernandez, who admitted last week that he's having trouble learning how to turn the double play. Soriano will cost them runs at second base, but he'll make up for it with his bat -- a lot better than either of those other two would.
The Mets' lineup appears to be their strength, but it's not without its question marks. Assuming a top five of Reyes, Beltran, Delgado, Wright, Floyd, in some order, there's a pretty fair dropoff after the No. 5 spot. Adding Soriano to the mix makes the lineup the best in the league. And the Mets need only look across town to the Bronx for their example.
The Yankees are a 95-to-100-victory-per-year machine in spite of shaky pitching and utterly horrendous defense. How do they do it? They have an All-Star-caliber offensive player at every position. Not most positions. Every position.
Contrary to what's happening in Washington right now, Soriano is no malcontent. He was a happy, likable, productive Yankee (remember, they only traded him because they were getting Alex Rodriguez back), and there's no reason to think that, if he were back in New York and playing second base, he wouldn't be happy. Also, everybody who has been to the Mets' clubhouse this spring has noticed the impact of Julio Franco, whose absolutely solar personality might be just what Soriano needs in his life.
It's $10 million, sure, but it's only money. The Mets, in the first year of their TV network and in a very winnable National League, are going for it. Soriano, as a free agent, would be off the books in 2007. And do you really think, if the Mets are in contention in July and need a starting pitcher, that Fred Wilpon will tell Minaya, "Sorry, O. We spent that money already on Soriano?" No chance.
Soriano is being silly, putting his reputation and his paycheck in jeopardy. He is worthy of no one's sympathy. If your boss called you in tomorrow and told you he was changing your job, you might be upset. You might not like it. You might not feel qualified for the position to which he's moving you. But you'd do it. Heck, you have bills. You'd have no choice.
But if the reason Soriano is pulling this stunt is so that he can get traded to a different team, the Mets should help him out.
