Geovany Soto Avoids Arbitration with Chicago Cubs

Published: 18^th Jan 12 2:09 am

d.j. Stockton
djstockton

RANT It!

Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

The Chicago Cubs and catcher Geovany Soto reached agreement on a one year contract for $4.3 million. Soto had a batting average of .228 with 17 home runs and 54 RBIs in 2011 and received a bump up from his $3 million salary.

The backstop for the Cubs has come a long way since his Rookie of the Year performance in 2008 and unfortunately it has not been in a good direction. He has battled injuries and even has been caught smoking marijuana in the offseason after his rookie year. This is not exactly what Cubs fans thought they had in store for themselves after the young Soto showed so much promise that first season.

What exactly do we have with him now? He will be 29 years going into the 2012 campaign which should mean that he is currently in or entering the prime of his career. Let’s hope for the latter because he has not been the player that the Cubs had hoped for. While his offense has decreased over the years it does seem that he is respected by the pitchers and can handle them with ease. It seems as though this is what the Cubs will need most this year as they are in a rebuilding mode. They will need a strong leader who can take charge of a team and show them the right way to play the game. I’m not saying that Soto is going to be this guy or even if he has the ability to but if he could the team would be strong because of it. At what better position should this leader come from?

But I am not a Geovany Soto fan and would like to see him shipped right out of town and the new regime has shown a willingness to do so. It is almost like I have seen this movie before. With the frustration I have seen on the field when he strikes out or makes weak contact it is only a matter of time before the Cubs fans at Wrigley begin to show him how they feel. How is Soto going to react if and when he is booed? Todd Hundley was an offensive giant early in his career but it started to dwindle and it finally hit rock bottom inChicago. The worst part about Hundley’s demise is that he went against the fans and that is the one thing you cannot do inChicago. Hopefully we do not see this happen with Soto and he can become a guy who will hit 20 or 25 homers and hit for a .280 average. If he can do that or get that average north of .250 and cut down on the strikeouts then his place will be always welcomed on the North Side.

Soto needs to produce if his tenure will continue inChicago. If he starts slow then we need to see exactly what we have in Wellington Castillo, who I believe will end up making a bigger contribution in 2012 than Soto. Hopefully Soto can rediscover the magic and once again become a fan favorite for the Cubs.