Coming off a year in which he swatted 34 home runs it would be surprising to hear Alfonso Soriano is considering retirement, but that appears to be the case.
“It depends on how I feel,’’ Soriano told The New York Post. “If I am healthy I will play [in 2015]. If not, I will let it go. It depends how I feel.’’
Soriano turned 38 in January and knows he is one down season away from being done. He enters the final year of a nine-year deal worth $136 million, which will pay him $18 million this season. The Yankees are on the hook for $5 million of that salary while the Chicago Cubs will pay the rest.
More important to the Yankees and Soriano right now is finding a place for him in their lineup.
“I don’t know,’’ Soriano said when asked where he would play. “They said something about DH and left field. I want to be in the lineup, it doesn’t matter where.’’
With Jacoby Ellsburry signing to play center, the addition of Carlos Beltran in right and Brett Gardner moving to left there could be a lot of DH in Soriano’s future. Which may not be the worst thing when you consider Soriano’s history in the field.
