The Cubs Chronicle

The AP reports:

The Chicago Cubs were close to agreement on a trade to send unhappy slugger Sammy Sosa to the Baltimore Orioles, several high-ranking baseball officials told The Associated Press.

Medical tests and approval from commissioner Bud Selig and the players’ association remain unresolved, the officials said Friday night, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Cubs would pay a substantial part of Sosa’s $17 million salary this season, the executives said. Sosa would agree to void his salary in 2006, they also said.

In exchange, Chicago would receive second baseman Jerry Hairston Jr. and at least two prospects.

Those better be some pretty good prospects.

UPDATE (11:25pm): Questions that immediately pop to mind: If the Cubs do in fact trade Sosa, does that mean they’ve checked out Magglio Ordonez’s knee and are sufficiently satisfied to consider paying what he appears to be asking for? And if Hairston comes to the Cubs, how long before Dusty Baker starts reducing Todd Walker’s at-bats, given that Hairston has the speed advantage?

UPDATE II (11:45pm): Baseball Musings concurs about how good the prospects need to be for this to work for the Cubs.

UPDATE III (1/29/05 12:05pm): Northside Lounge has analysis of the trade, including a look at the rumored prospects involved—minor league pitcher David Crouthers and minor league second baseman Mike Fontenot. They aren’t much to get excited about.

UPDATE IV (1/29/05 12:15pm): Derek Smart at The Cub Reporter considers the possibility that the two prospects will immediately be traded elsewhere. He also likes the idea of Hairston hitting leadoff. I’m less open to the idea. While Hairston did post a .378 OBA last year, his career OBA is at .334, right around league average. And given his lack of power, I have a difficult time envisioning Hairston putting up better production in left than a Hollandsworth/Dubois platoon.