The Tigers and Cubs are discussing an Alfonso Soriano deal, David Kaplan of CSN Chicago reported Tuesday. A deal won't happen before the July 31 trading deadline but could happen after Soriano clears waivers in August, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported.
Soriano is hitting as well as he has since 2008, posting a .274/.324/.504 line in 94 games with the Cubs, including 19 home runs and 61 RBI. He could be an improvement over Tigers right fielder Brennan Boesch (.671 OPS) or designated hitter Delmon Young (.695 OPS).
However, money is the issue. Soriano is owed $18 million per season through 2014, and the Cubs would likely have to eat much of that salary to facilitate a deal.
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