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From the AP, via ESPN:
PHILADELPHIA — Hoping to protect Ryan Howard in the middle of their lineup, the Philadelphia Phillies are expected to make a strong push for Alfonso Soriano.
General manager Pat Gillick won’t speak about specific free agents until Sunday, the first day teams can negotiate with players they’re trying to lure, but he and manager Charlie Manuel both indicated Tuesday they’d be interested in Soriano. Manuel even said he’s already thought about where he’d hit the slugger.
“I get a lot of suggestions when I go out,” Manuel said. “Some people say leave him in the leadoff hole. Some guy said hit him second, hit him third, hit him fourth, hit him fifth. I look at it like, hell, we can hit him somewhere. He can hit anywhere from third, fourth or fifth.”
A five-time All-Star, Soriano batted .277 with 46 homers, 95 RBI and 41 steals this year in his first season with the Washington Nationals. He joined Jose Canseco (Oakland 1988), Barry Bonds (San Francisco 1996) and Alex Rodriguez (Seattle 1998) as the only players with 40 homers and 40 stolen bases in the same season.
This is way more important than the election.
Phillies expected to pursue Soriano [AP/ESPN.com]
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