Soriano's Season

On Saturday, Alfonso Soriano, the Washington Nationals' leftfielder, became only the fourth player in MLB history to record 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a season. Soriano has 45 home runs and with 13 games left, he has the chance to become the first ever 45-45 man. Soriano's season is already better than those of the other 40-40 players, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, and Jose Canseco. Soriano has more home runs than the other three players and is also having a good defensive season, recording a league leading 20 outfield assists, becoming only the seventh player in history do that. Soriano is hitting .286 with 38 doubles and 91 runs batted in. Soriano is a legitimate contender for the National League Most Valuable Player Award, but the Nationals' poor record puts him at a disadvantage behind the Mets' Carlos Beltran, the Cardinals' Albert Pujols, and the Phillies' Ryan Howard.

Soriano is having a career year at the best time for him. He is a free agent after this season and is the best hitter on the market, just barely ahead of Rangers' outfielder Carlos Lee. Soriano can play second base relatively well and has developed nicely in the outfield, with his strong throwing arm proving to be a solid weapon. The Nationals will try hard to resign Soriano, to make him the cornerstone of their franchise as they attempt to continue building as their new stadium is constructed. With Ryan Zimmerman already making an impact, the additions of outfielder Austin Kearns and shortstop Felipe Lopez, as well as a strong, young bullpen led by Chad Cordero and the currently injured Luis Ayala, the Nationals are on the way back up. The team needs to resign Soriano to continue their progress. The new owners should be willing to put their money into the team and Soriano would be the best place to put it.

If Soriano is not resigned by the Nationals, many teams will be gunning for his services. The Chicago Cubs, the Houston Astros, the San Diego Padres, and the Baltimore Orioles are all looking to add impact offensive players to the lineup. The Cubs may not be willing to throw enough money at Soriano, considering that the addition of him to the team is not enough to turn it around, same with the Orioles, who both need pitching, in the Cubs situation, they just need their star pitchers healthy. The Astros have solid pitching and a developing lineup and the addition of Soriano could bring them closer to the St. Louis Cardinals and make them a Wild Card favorite. The Padres are already a NL West contender with good pitching, so the addition of a powerful offensive threat like Soriano could push them towards being a World Series threat.

The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees always seem to be in the mix when a top player is on the market, but the Yankees have nowhere to play Soriano, with Robinson Cano at second base and a crowded outfield with Bobby Abreu, Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, and Melky Cabrera. The Red Sox, however, seem unlikely to resign Mark Loretta and Trot Nixon, and may trade Coco Crisp, so Soriano could be tried at center or right field or moved back to second base, although the Red Sox seem to be ready to turn over that position to prospect Dustin Pedroia and may turn center field over to David Murphy, as he has been playing well since his major league debut, hitting a lead-off home run today against the Yankees has helped him prove he is ready to be a major leaguer. The Sox also have Jacoby Ellsbury, who tore up Double A this season with Portland, is waiting in the wings and may be just one season away from being the Sox starting centerfielder.

Soriano is one of the best players in the game today. He is 30 years old and in his prime, with great speed and great power ability. No player has ever had a 40-40 season twice in their career, but Soriano definitely has the chance to do that. This is his fourth season with at least 40 stolen bases, and he has had 30 and 35 twice. He seems to be in his prime when it comes to hitting and his power numbers should remain the same for the next few years. Soriano is often overlooked when the top players are considered and may be just outside the top tier (with Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Albert Pujols, and possibly Carlos Beltran and Ryan Howard), but he is up near the top. Whether it is with the Nationals or someone else, Soriano should be exciting to watch once again in 2007. 50-50 is out of reach now for this season, but who knows about next year, he has the ability.