Whenever there is discussion of the top players who will be available at the trade deadline, Alfonso Soriano's name is always right at the top of the list. This week, there were explicit rumors that the Nationals had even told the Yankees what their asking price was for Soriano -- top prospect Phillip Hughes.
Yet the question of whether Soriano really will be available is indicative of the reality of baseball, with three division winners and a wild card team making the playoffs. There simply aren't many teams completely out of the playoff picture.
This is particularly true in the National League, where the wild card leading Cincinnati Reds maintain only a small lead over numerous teams. Six teams currently sit within five games of the wild card.
About a month ago, the Nationals were only winning a third of their games, and sat at 14-28. At that point, Soriano, a free agent at the end of the year and a serious malcontent over his position move in spring training, appeared sure to move.
All the Nationals did was win 16 of their next 22 games to climb right back within shouting distance. Much of this was on the shoulders of Soriano, who is second in the majors with 23 home runs -- mainly as the leadoff hitter.
Even with a current four game losing streak, the Nationals have been one of the hottest teams in baseball over the past month. This presents a very real possibility that the Nationals, with a new owner in place and hopes of becoming a big market franchise, will be in no hurry to deal Soriano at all. If the Nationals intend to focus on building the team through free agency, a phenom like Hughes, while nice, may not be as enticing.
As with a lot of internal controversies, a little success goes a long way toward smoothing over differences. Soriano hasn't let the move to left field impact his offense at all (if anything, he's gotten better), and he's proven an adequate outfielder. The more the Nationals win, the more those issues fade.
So if you're in an NL-only league that "disappears" players who move to the AL, you still might keep your best player. If you don't have Soriano, consider making a trade for him. You might be able to get a deal out of an owner who is sure he'll be a Yankee.