It hasn’t even been a whole week since game 162, and the Hot-Stove rumor mill is already cranking. Yesterday we heard tell of the possibility a deal for 13-year veteran, Alfonso Soriano, of the Cubs. Could Soriano, a utility middle infielder and outfielder, solve the DH problem that has plagued the Rays for some time now? If anything, the idea is intriguing.

Soriano is a career .273 BA/.323 OBP/.505 SLG/.354 OBP hitter that has also spent time with the Yankees, Rangers and Nationals. In his 13 year career, Soriano has collected 372 home runs, 1046 RBI, and 1035 runs, including 11 consecutive seasons where he’s gone yard twenty times or more. He’s also driven in 70 or more RBI in 11 of those 13 seasons. (note: Soriano had a limited number of plate appearances in 1999 and 2000) I’d reckon that those production numbers would fit very nicely in the Rays lineup.

Soriano has good splits against righties and lefties over his career, posting a .281 BA/.351 OBP/.527 SLG/.848 OPS/.310 line against LHP, and a .273 BA/.318 OBP/.509 SLG/.826 OPS/.300 BABIP line against RHP. More importantly, though his batting average has fallen off against lefties over the last few years, his power numbers have stayed relatively stable. Though I doubt anyone would argue with his 2012 numbers; 32 homers and 109 RBI.

His walk and strikeout percentages are a bit worrisome, as are the increasing number of double plays that he’s ground into over the last couple of years (15 in 2011, and 18 in 2012). Then again Soriano hits for average, strikes out less than Carlos Pena and Luke Scott, and he’s got some pop in his bat. And considering that he has a career .323 OBP, he’d make contact and get on base.

Consider too, that the Rays could potentially get Soriano on the cheap. According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe,

After finishing with 32 homers and 108 RBI, it appears the Cubs should have suitors for him this offseason. Soriano makes so much sense for a team like the Rays as their DH, especially since Theo Epstein would pick up most of the final two years of Soriano’s deal. Soriano could also help the Blue Jays, Orioles, or Indians.

The Rays could use a big bat in the lineup, and Soriano wields a decent glove (11.8 UZR, .996 FP in 2012) that could be used in times when there’s a left-handed pitcher on the mound, and Matt Joyce is absent from the lineup. I don’t see a downside to the acquisition of Alfonso Soriano if the terms are right. So, what do you all think?

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