Cubs land Soriano with fifth-biggest deal ever

CHICAGO -- Memo to the National League. The Chicago Cubs mean business.

The team without a World Series title since 1908 has tackled the offseason with a fury and is on the verge of landing Alfonso Soriano, one of the game's top offensive players.

Soriano has agreed to an eight-year contract worth about $136 million, a major league official told the Associated Press on Sunday.

The deal is contingent on Soriano passing a physical, according to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal had not yet been announced.

General manager Jim Hendry declined comment Sunday. But earlier he made it clear that the Cubs, who finished 66-96 last season for last place in the NL, were going to be major players in the market.

"We won 66 ballgames. We darn sure better be aggressive," Hendry said.

Alfonso Soriano joins a Cubs team that went 66-96 in '06. (US PRESSWIRE)

If completed, the Soriano deal would be the fifth-largest total package given to a major league player, behind Alex Rodriguez ($252 million for 10 years), Derek Jeter ($189 million for 10 years), Manny Ramirez ($160 million for eight years) and Todd Helton ($141.5 million for 11 years).

"He likes the leadoff spot and there is none better," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said in an interview with WGN Radio. He called Soriano "a young man who can get on base and steal some bases and hit the ball for extra base power and hit it for a homer. We are talking about the best leadoff hitter in all of baseball."

Soriano, who could play center field and give the Cubs a leadoff hitter with a combination of speed and power, had 46 homers and 41 stolen bases last season with the Washington Nationals. He batted .277, had 95 RBI and had 41 doubles.

"Suffice it to say a contract like that simply doesn't fit in with trying to build a team from where we are," Nationals president Stan Kasten said. "We wish Alfonso well. We have been expecting it, and we're ready to move on."

Kasten would not discuss Washington's talks with Soriano, declining to say whether the team made him a contract offer.

Landing Soriano would be the biggest in a series of moves for Hendry.

After hiring Piniella as its new manager, Chicago re-signed third baseman Aramis Ramirez to a five-year, $75 million deal. The Cubs also added second baseman Mark DeRosa ($13 million over three years) and re-signed pitcher Kerry Wood ($1.75 million), pitcher Wade Miller ($1.5 million) and backup catcher Henry Blanco ($5.25 million over two years).