So, riano?

Obviously as a Cubs fan you have to have an opinion on the signing of Alfonso Soriano. The expectation of how one might react is probably either (a) unbridled optimism or (b) complete despair. Needless to say, I fall pretty much square in the middle.

Things I Like About the Alfonso Soriano Signing
* It signals a willingness to spend money. You don't have to spend to win, but it usually helps.
* It signals a willingness to chase the big prize. This is a team that, historically, has not done much to go after premium free agents, even when they were entering free agency as Cubs (the Greg Maddux fiasco in 1992). Between Ramirez's re-signing and Soriano, the Cubs are showing the fans that the new goal is to chase the top of the free agent class.
* It's a power bat in an outfield corner (or possibly center field, where power bats are typically lacking, save Griffey), something lacking since Alou and Sosa left town.
* Soriano is pretty close to a five-tool guy, and although it was a rich contract, you never know - in five years it could seem like a bargain.
* Along the lines of the first one, other players might be more willing to sign with the Cubs if they think the team is desperate to win.

Things I Don't Like About the Alfonso Soriano Signing
* A willingness to spend money is nice, but 17 million a year on one guy comes dangerously close to breaking the bank, and this is with no new starting pitchers yet signed.
* The team that wins the big prize isn't always the big winner. Witness Texas landing Alex Rodriguez in 2000. Their problem was not having enough money left for pitching either.
* It could seem like a bargain in five years - but on the other hand, in five years Soriano will be approaching 36 and the deal could seem like an albatross. Not every player is going to be Bar- well, let's stick with someone clean and say Hank Aaron. The typical drop-off point for a clean player seems to be 34 or 35; Soriano's contract will only be half-over at that point. Even if you assume that he can duplicate last season for four more years, are the remaining four going to be worth it?

My guess as to the eight years is that other teams were offering seven for 17 each - Beltran money - and Soriano said to the Cubs, "I'll sign with you if you up it to 8." I suppose if you're opening the purse to win now, what's 17 million bucks in 2014? Cubs brass probably figure that an aging, salary-crippled team in seven years isn't going to matter to anyone if the Cubs can win a title or two before that, and of course they're completely right. That said, we need to see what happens with the pitching before we anoint the Cubs NL favorites, or even NL Central favorites.

The one thing I think is interesting is that Derrek Lee signed this huge extension early in the '06 season, which at the time was semi-unprecedented for the Cubs... and since then he's become only the third-best paid player on the team, and once Zambrano either signs an extension or files for free agency, Lee could drop to fourth. This for a guy who nearly won the Triple Crown in 2005! He seems like a guy who doesn't really care about the money, though, so hopefully the exploding salaries aren't going to turn the clubhouse into the Bronx West. I'm a little worried, though. I've expended so much energy railing at the Yankees for their destructive-to-the-sport salary practices, and yet how can I complain when the Cubs are willing to do similar? I think it's safe to say the Tribune payroll is never going to be pushing 200 million dollars in a single season, so at least there's always that to fall back on.