Would Alfonso Soriano be worth a few million dollars to the Pittsburgh Pirates? Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

Before you shake your head no.  Ok, well you are already shaking your head no.  We understand.  But listen for a moment.  The Pittsburgh Pirates are facing some very difficult decisions in the next few hours with the news of Neil Walker and Travis Snider’s injuries.

We can’t really say why Snider was pinch hitting, he is obviously injured.  Walker will surely be out as well.  That’s some serious power taken out of the Pirates lineup.

Alfonso Soriano cleared waivers today.  The Cubs outfielder is now eligible to be traded anywhere, but he must agree due to his ten-and-five rights.  The guy is older and expensive, but don’t tune this out just yet, he might not be as expensive as you think.

He is hitting .264/.319/.490 and has 21 bombs on the year.  Here is the part that must be considered the most if you are Bob Nutting and the Buccos brass.  Walker is out.  Snider should be out.  Pedro is in a funk. McCutchen hit his first bomb in weeks last night.

The power will be on ice for perhaps a couple of weeks.

So what do you do?   Soriano is owed about $45 million dollars through the end of through the end of the 2014 season.  We have heard that the Cubs will pay all but $3 million annually on Soriano’s contract.  He turns 37 in January.

The Pirates need to give this some thought.  Despite playing on a Cubs team that has won just twice this month, Fonz is still hitting.  He has a couple of homers, nine hits, and has driven in ten runs.  In fact, all of Soriano’s homers have come since May 15.

It seems like a tempting idea, a month ago we wouldn’t have even thought about it.   We hated the idea in fact.  Maybe it’s the tough stretch the Pirates are in right now, but  it’s at least something to think about at the very least.

Soriano is still a productive player, one competing GM said, noting, “It all comes down to how much the Cubs are willing to pay his contract down. If they’d pay him down to $1 (million) to $2 million a year, I’d think a lot of teams would be interested.”

One source suggested before the deadline the Cubs offered at least one team to pay Soriano’s $18-million salary down to $3 million.

Take a look at the last three years of RBI production from Braun and you find an average of 106 per year.  Lee averaged 107.  Holliday pounded in 111 runs.  Sick.

So we see the Pirate outfield as a strength in 2010.  And it appears a key to success in the NL Central is to have a LF that can drive in runs.  Do the Bucs have that in 2010?  One big question will be how well  Lastings Milledge produces at the plate.  Of course, Milledge isn’t going to be in the basher spot in the order that the big three NL Central left fielders will occupy, so that will reduce the pressure on the flashy Milledge.  He will relax and rake. 

Oh, I’m getting ahead of myself.  Sorry, spring training fever.

Sure most of the NL Central left fielders are bashers.  But listen, (more…)