O's await as Cubs prepare to slam door on Sosa era

After finishing 78-84 in 2004, their seventh straight losing season, the Orioles entered the offseason seeking to add a front-line starting pitcher and a cleanup hitter. They courted pitcher Carl Pavano, who signed with the New York Yankees, and their failure to secure Delgado means their most significant free-agent signing so far this winter is reliever Steve Kline.

Beattie and Flanagan were under extra pressure to improve the club because of the potential competition for fans with the Nationals. The addition of Sosa would give the Orioles a marketable name.

Trading Sosa might prompt the Cubs to attempt to sign Magglio Ordonez, the last remaining top free agent. Ordonez, who starred for the Chicago White Sox, has been in negotiations with Detroit.

Sosa has 574 home runs, seventh on the career list, and his home run race with Mark McGwire in 1998 made him one of the game's most popular players. With an infectious smile, home run hops and heart taps, he became Chicago's favorite athlete after Michael Jordan retired. In all those dark years when the Cubs struggled, Sosa and his jaw-dropping homers were the lone bright spots.

But Sosa's relations with the Cubs -- and the fans -- soured in recent years. Hampered by injuries, he has batted just .266 the past two seasons and his homer totals have dropped. Last season, Sosa batted only .253 -- his lowest average since 1997 -- and hit 35 homers and 80 RBI in 126 games, ending his run of 100-RBI seasons at nine.

The breaking point came when he skipped out on the final game of last season. He criticized manager Dusty Baker the next day, with Sosa saying all the blame was put on him for the Cubs' failures. In a later interview, Sosa said he was humiliated by being dropped to sixth in the batting order.

While Cubs general manager Jim Hendry, Baker and Cubs players insisted at last week's Cubs convention that Sosa's presence wouldn't be a disruption to the team, fans weren't buying it. When his image appeared on a video, there was a loud chorus of boos.