Monday, June 12, 2000 | 9:54 a.m.
Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at [email protected] or 259-4084.
Three or four weeks ago the New York Yankees had a scout trailing the Chicago Cubs.
The Yankees, desperate for outfield help after the disappointing early season performances of Ricky Ledee and Shane Spencer, were sizing up the Cubs' Henry Rodriguez with an eye on acquiring him before the midsummer trading deadline.
Rodriguez, 32, is an accomplished professional and has had a fine career, including 26 home runs and 87 RBIs last season. As it is, he's hitting .250 with 12 homers and 31 batted in this year.
But he's no longer the Cub the Yankees desire.
Now it's Sammy Sosa.
And the Cubs should do it; they should trade Sosa, be it to the Yankees or the equally interested New York Mets, and be done with it.
An opinion that at one time would have been considered heresy in Chicago is gaining momentum. Sosa, particularly after his blowup with manager Don Baylor last week, may be worth more to the Cubs as trade bait than he is as a power hitting outfielder, especially if he's inclined to brood and feel disgruntled.
His mannerisms indicate he's unhappy and he probably was taken aback to be jeered this past weekend at Comiskey Park, where the Cubs rallied Sunday to finish with one win in the three-game series against their crosstown rivals, the White Sox. Sosa, who once played for the Sox, was the recipient of constant raspberries and looked testy while striking out seven times Friday and Saturday.
A change of scenery would do him good. It might also help the Cubs and the Yankees.
The Cubs, 26-37, are going nowhere and could use the infusion of talent a deal involving Sosa would bring. The Yankees, who have won three of the last four World Series, still need outfield help after losing Darryl Strawberry, Chad Curtis and Chili Davis from their 1999 roster.
Sosa, 31, would be a good fit in New York and maybe even more popular there -- due to the vast Latino population -- than he is at Wrigley Field. A trade would be in his best interest.
As a "5-10" man -- at least five years with the same team and at least 10 years in the majors -- Sosa has the right to veto any trade. But he should see the advantages of going to the Yankees, who start the new week ranked 13th of the 14 American League teams in runs scored.
Sosa, who hit 63 home runs last season and 66 the previous year, is hitting .307 with 19 homers and 58 RBIs. A great low-ball hitter, he has added patience over the years although he'll still chase the high fastball that's up and away.
That lack of discipline, along with his defensive shortcomings, led one member of the Cubs' organization to suggest the team would be better without its image-conscious -- and, some would say, phony -- superstar. Sosa read the anonymous comments in a Chicago newspaper and lashed out at Baylor, saying "he has no class" and "I deserve more respect."
What he deserves is a ticket out of town and the Yankees, who could use Sosa in right field or as a designated hitter, are in the market.
It could be a good fit. The chest-thumping Sosa could play for a championship in New York while the Cubs, who don't need the Dominican as a gate attraction, could launch still another rebuilding campaign.
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