Cubs land Soriano with fifth-biggest deal ever

The Cubs also acquired lefty reliever Neal Cotts in a trade with the White Sox. Chicago has been looking for a center fielder after Juan Pierre filed for free agency.

All this activity comes as the team's parent company, Tribune Co., is weighing options to sell all or some of its holdings, according to published reports.

And the Cubs may not be through. They've made no secret they'd like to bolster their starting rotation behind ace Carlos Zambrano, especially with the health of Mark Prior still a question mark.

But offensively, the addition of Soriano would give Chicago the punch that could make the Cubs contenders in the NL Central as he joins a lineup that includes Ramirez and Derrek Lee in homer-friendly Wrigley Field.

"In that ballpark and in that city, they should be very excited," New York Mets bench coach Jerry Manuel said while attending the Spurs-Kings NBA game in Sacramento. "Because of the lack of pitching in our industry, if there is a lack in this area you have to load up on the other side -- and people are going to load up on offense. He's a tremendous player."

Primarily a second baseman during a career that began with the New York Yankees in 1999, the 30-year-old Soriano made the switch to left field last season, his first and only one in Washington.

Soriano played his first five seasons in New York and then was traded to the Texas Rangers in the 2004 deal that brought Rodriguez to the Yankees. Soriano was dealt again two seasons later to the Nationals in a trade that sent outfielders Brad Wilkerson and Terrmel Sledge plus a minor league pitcher to the Rangers.

When he joined the Nationals, Soriano was switched to the outfield because Washington already had Jose Vidro at second. It was a move Soriano initially rejected. But gradually he became comfortable with the switch and made an All-Star team for the fifth straight season, this time at his new position.

Soriano is a .280 career hitter with 208 homers and 560 RBI. He made $10 million last season after losing in salary arbitration. He asked for $12 million.

In 2006, he became the fourth player to record 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a single season. Jose Canseco (Oakland 1988), Barry Bonds (San Francisco 1996) and Rodriguez (Seattle 1998) are the other members of the 40-40 club.

The deal was first announced by WGN radio, the Cubs' flagship station.