Five Reasons Soriano Will Not Be in a ChiSox Uniform

Earlier this week, ESPN reported that the White Sox were oh-this-close to obtaining Alfonso Soriano from the Washington Nationals. The White Sox have since denied the story, although they do admit they are working on at least three possible deals before the trading deadline on July 31.

Here are five reasons why Soriano will not be playing for the South Siders.

1. The Sox need better pitching, not more hitting. Soriano has great numbers offensively and it's tempting to add him to the lineup. But who do you give up in the process? The Sox biggest problem is consistency among their starters. Their bullpen is improving as the season progresses, and Matt Thornton has settled in nicely since coming over from the Seattle Mariners in the off season.

2. The Sox will not trade Brandon McCarthy. The Nationals covet the young right hander, but the Sox have made it clear that they will not trade him. You never, ever want to give up future prospects for a short-term solution like a free agent who may not be around after this season.

3. The Sox would give up too much defensively. Soriano just converted to playing the outfield earlier this season, and the only position he could play is left field, currently held by Scott Podsednik. Pods is not a strong outfielder either, although he has great speed. Many assumed that center fielder Brian Anderson would be traded in the same deal, Pods would play center and Soriano in left. That leaves defensive liabilities in center and left fields. That would be a problem that the Sox don't want to have.

The other alternative is to keep Anderson in center for his defense, and trade Podsednik in the same deal to bring Soriano here. Basically, you'd be trading off speedy lead-off men with weak fielding skills. Soriano might be a better hitter at the moment, but he also comes with a bigger price tag.

4. Too much publicity killed the deal. Sox GM Kenny Williams has always preferred working "under the radar". So the fact that this deal has so much publicity tells me it was not a serious deal from the start.

5. It's just a smoke screen. Since this wasn't a serious deal, it could only be a smoke screen, a play to prompt other teams to make moves that might eventually benefit the Sox. For example, it was rumored that the Detroit Tigers were also interested in Soriano, and probably needed him more than the Sox did. The Sox might have been playing "keep away" -- get Soriano so the Tigers don't.

The Sox want to win -- badly. You can be sure they will make one or two moves before the trading deadline. But it won't involve Soriano.