Alfonso Soriano doesn’t want suspended Melky Cabrera’s spot
BY TONI GINNETTI tginnetti@suntimes.com August 15, 2012 10:02PM
Marwin Gonzalez of the Astros, left, and Alfonso Soriano of the Cubs run into each other on a double play in the fifth inning at Wrigley Field Wednesday, August 15, 2012, in Chicago. | John J. Kim~Sun-Times
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Updated: September 17, 2012 1:10PM
Don’t assume the sudden loss of Melky Cabrera to a 50-game suspension for using steroids means Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano might be heading to the San Francisco Giants. Soriano, who has veto rights in any trade, already turned down overtures from the Giants before the July 31 non-waiver deadline. He has cleared waivers now, but he repeated Wednesday his reluctance to go to the West Coast. ‘‘San Francisco is not good weather to play in,’’ he said. ‘‘I’ve never played on the West Coast, but we’ll see what happens. I want to talk to my family and see.’’ Soriano said he hasn’t been approached again by the Cubs about a deal. ‘‘Now there’s six weeks left to the season,’’ he said. ‘‘I’ll try to enjoy it with these young guys and see what happens in the offseason. I’ll just try to do the best I can and not think about trade deadlines.’’ Cabrera, the All-Star Game MVP, was suspended Wednesday after testing positive for testosterone, leaving the Giants without one of the best hitters in baseball. He was hitting
Fleita’s players upset
The firing Wednesday of Oneri Fleita , the Cubs’ longtime vice president of player personnel, was especially hard on the team’s Latin American players, all of whom had personal relationships with him.‘‘I feel real bad,’’ shortstop
Starlin Castro said. ‘‘He’s like my father. I talked to him all the time in the Dominican and here. I feel really bad, but it’s a business.’’
Closer Carlos Marmol , 29, said he has known Fleita since he was 16. ‘‘This is the guy that gave me the opportunity in the minor leagues, and it was hard for me to hear [the news],’’ Marmol said. ‘‘He meant a lot because he gave me the opportunity to be a catcher and change to a pitcher. He did a lot of good things for me.’’ Cubs president ‘‘This is an unfortunate part of the business,’’ Epstein said. ‘‘Oneri’s been on both sides. Part of his job is to release players and have to let staff go, and I’ve been in that chair before. It’s just really difficult, but I think it’s part of the maturation process for young players to see that there is change and that change can be a good thing in baseball and in life. ‘‘Relationships don’t have to stop because someone moves on.’’
David DeJesus hit a pair of home runs Wednesday, his first in Wrigley Field, in the Cubs’ 7-2 victory over the Houston Astros.‘‘When I hit one off
Bronson [ Arroyo ] a few days ago and it was caught at the wall, [manager] Dale [ Sveum ] said, ‘You should have at least 10,’ ’’ DeJesus said.He finished the game 4-for-4, helping
Justin Germano (2-2) get the victory.
