YANKEES BRING BACK SLUGGER SORIANO
The New York Yankees acquired outfielder Alfonso Soriano and cash from the Chicago Cubs for pitcher Corey Black.
What does it give the New York Yankees
This deal had been rumored for a while, and it makes a lot of sense on the surface. Soriano returns to his first big-league home (in the Bronx) to provide badly-needed power and run production. It seems strange talking about a lack of thump in the Yankees lineup but it's the truth in 2013. Look for Soriano to play left field, but he may eventually settle in as the team's everyday DH by season's end. Now 37 years old, Soriano will likely be with the Yankees through 2014.
What does it give the Chicago Cubs
The Cubs paid a significant portion of Soriano's contract to send him to the Bronx, but it needed to be done. For one thing, the Cubs can now take a much longer look at multi-tooled prospect {R Junior Lake} (who can play several different positions but may now get extended playing time in left field). Also, this continues down the rebuilding road for the Cubbies, and adding a decent starting prospect like Black is a positive step. He's several years away but has pretty good upside.
Fantasy impact
Soriano's fantasy value should remain more or less the same. He heads back to the Bronx, where they still have a very spacious left field (even in the new Yankee Stadium). Therefore, the home runs may not come in waves but he may feel the rejuvenation of the pennant race in the AL East. Black has some keeper-league appeal but he won't become a real factor for quite some time. The biggest winner here is Lake, who should now claim an everyday role with the Cubs.
