Alfonso Soriano refusing to play left field for Washington Nationals

[Hammock Parties]

What a dipshit. You should be the DH you ham-fisted reerun.

Soriano Refuses to Take Left Field

New National Won't Play Position

By Barry Svrluga

Washington Post Staff Writer


VIERA, Fla., March 20 -- When the Washington Nationals took the field Monday evening, Alfonso Soriano's name was the first blared over the public address system, the man due to lead off and play left field. But as the Nationals trickled out of the home dugout to warm up for the first inning of their Grapefruit League game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, only eight men emerged. Manager Frank Robinson strode to home plate, where he made the lineup change that foretold the growing controversy here: The Nationals' highest-paid employee, and potentially their most dynamic player, is refusing to play his assigned position, and there is no resolution in sight.

Soriano, a four-time all-star acquired by the Nationals in an offseason trade with the Texas Rangers, has steadfastly declined Washington's request that he move from second base to the outfield, and the issue came to a dramatic head Monday, resulting in a situation that seasoned baseball men believe could be unprecedented. Soriano returned to Nationals' camp from his stint playing for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, met one-on-one with Robinson and then in a joint session with Robinson and General Manager Jim Bowden. The Nationals' top officials made it clear: To be part of this team, Soriano must play left field, for Jose Vidro is entrenched at second base. Soriano, for his part, was equally clear: He doesn't want to.

So shortly after the bizarre scene played out before a crowd of 4,554 at Space Coast Stadium -- with Brandon Watson reporting to center field and Ryan Church moving to Soriano's spot in left -- Bowden stood in his office and said that Soriano would be placed in the lineup in left field for the Nationals' next game, Wednesday in Jupiter, Fla., against the St. Louis Cardinals. Should he refuse to play then, the club will file a request with the commissioner's office to place Soriano on the rarely used disqualified list, which, according to Bowden, would mean Soriano would earn no pay or service time until he chose to play for the club.

Bowden said the team believes Soriano's refusal to play his assigned position is a violation of his contract, which will pay him $10 million this season.

"We do not want it to come to that," Bowden said. "We have compassion for him. But we're in a position for this ballclub that if we can't make a trade that makes sense, we're not going to give him away, and we have a team to run. Our feeling is we don't want to wait till Opening Day to do this."

Whether the situation can be resolved in the two weeks before the season was murky at best Monday night. Soriano, 30, has averaged more than 35 homers and 97 RBI over the past four seasons. But he has yet to appear in a spring training game for his new team, nor has he taken fly balls in the outfield. He left the ballpark in the second inning after a clubhouse attendant drove his white Cadillac Escalade nearer to the back entrance of the stadium.

As he walked to the parking lot, Soriano declined to comment on the situation, as he had all day. Asked if he would play Wednesday, he said only: "We'll see. We'll see. I don't know."

Soriano's clandestine departure ended a strange day in which he indicated that he needed to play to prepare for the season. Robinson subsequently told him if he played, it would be in left. Yet when the Nationals practiced fielding situations in the afternoon heat, Soriano promptly reported to second base, where he took grounders and turned double plays as the second-teamer, behind Vidro. Robinson said Soriano had not been assigned to second base for the drills. Soriano joked with a few teammates as the players stretched and went through their workout, but for the most part seemed isolated.

"He didn't want to talk to no one," one staff member said.

Soriano then spent more than 30 minutes sitting in a hall outside the Nationals' clubhouse speaking on his cellphone. Diego Bentz, Soriano's agent, said the two spoke, but even Bentz was unclear about what would happen next. In a telephone interview, Bentz said he would "probably" travel here in the next two days to meet with his client and team officials.

It's unclear how the parties could come to a solution. Bowden reiterated that the Nationals have made several attempts to gauge the trade market for Soriano but haven't found a good fit.

"Therefore, we told the player we needed him to play left field, that Jose Vidro was at second base," Bowden said, "and for our team, that gives us the best chance to win."

Robinson said he would not give Soriano any time at second. "If he's going to play here," Robinson said, "he's going to be out in left field."

So if there is no trade, and Soriano doesn't have a change of heart, the most likely resolution is a trip to the disqualified list. An interesting wrinkle to that possibility is the fact that Soriano would not earn service time if he were disqualified. Therefore, though Soriano is due to be a free agent after the 2006 season, his contract would in effect be suspended, "and he would not be a free agent," Bowden said. "He would still be our property."

Rob Manfred, Major League Baseball's executive vice president for labor relations, said in San Diego that the league is advising the Nationals on the legalities involved. Ultimately, though, "it's a player-club issue," Manfred said. Commissioner Bud Selig and Gene Orza, the chief operating officer of the players' union, declined to comment. It's possible, though, that the union could eventually take up Soriano's case, arguing that the club would be diminishing the player's value by moving him to left.

Those possibilities will arise in the coming days and weeks. Meantime, Soriano's would-be teammates went out and lost to the Dodgers, 11-5, without him. First baseman Nick Johnson, who came up through the Yankees system with Soriano, and reliever Mike Stanton, who played with him in New York, swore by him as a teammate.

"He's not a troublemaker," Stanton said.

But there is no question that he is causing heaps of trouble for the Nationals. He has Tuesday, an off day, to think things over. And the direction of the Nationals' season could be determined by whether Soriano decides to walk out to left field on Wednesday.

[jspchief]

Originally Posted by vailpass

So even though the Union will win you still say it's BS? Fair enough.

You always seem like a level-headed person so I'm curious as to y our opinion. Do you think it's okay for a team to trade for a player, all the while intending to ask that player to man a position he has made abundantly clear he has no desire/intention to play?

Do you think it's o.k. to try and force someone to change their profession because you have leverage? Is it a smart move on the part of the team?

If an employer hired a friend of yours who is a skilled finish carpenter then decided they wanted him to be a drywaller would you tell your friend to suck it up and get to hangin rock?

The players want guaranteed contracts. They want owners to be forced to live up to their end of the bargain. Shouldn't the players be expected to do the same?

Did Soriano have a no trade clause in his contract? Or any stipulation that he would only play 2nd?

I think the Nationals are stupid for trading for him and trying to force him to play a position that he was clearly going to refuse to play, but I still think Soriano should either be forced to live up to the terms of the contract, or the team should have the right to default on their terms.

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by jspchief

The players want guaranteed contracts. They want owners to be forced to live up to their end of the bargain. Shouldn't the players be expected to do the same?

Did Soriano have a no trade clause in his contract? Or any stipulation that he would only play 2nd?

I think the Nationals are stupid for trading for him and trying to force him to play a position that he was clearly going to refuse to play, but I still think Soriano should either be forced to live up to the terms of the contract, or the team should have the right to default on their terms.

Does it make any difference to your opinion that next year is Soriano's Free Agency year where he is set to become the highest paid 2nd baseman in the league?
If he is seen as an outfielder instead of a 2nd baseman he will command much less on the free agency market.

[jspchief]

Originally Posted by vailpass

Does it make any difference to your opinion that next year is Soriano's Free Agency year where he is set to become the highest paid 2nd baseman in the league?
If he is seen as an outfielder instead of a 2nd baseman he will command much less on the free agency market.

I'd respond with several things.

1. Soriano isn't going to become a high paid 2nd baseman because of his glove.
2. Soriano isn't going to forget how to bat, or play 2nd in one year.
3. Next year he can demand contract language that forces him to be played at 2nd.

You're going to have a hard time convincing me that he's suddenly going to be black-balled from the 2nd base position due to 1 year playing in the outfield. If teams try and force him into being an outfielder again next year, it's going to be because he's a lousy infielder, not because of some stupid roster move.

[ChiefsCountry]

Soriano has the worst fielding percentage ever for a 2nd baseman.

That being I still wish the Royals could get him just for his bat and baserunning.

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by jspchief

I'd respond with several things.

1. Soriano isn't going to become a high paid 2nd baseman because of his glove.
2. Soriano isn't going to forget how to bat, or play 2nd in one year.
3. Next year he can demand contract language that forces him to be played at 2nd.

You're going to have a hard time convincing me that he's suddenly going to be black-balled from the 2nd base position due to 1 year playing in the outfield. If teams try and force him into being an outfielder again next year, it's going to be because he's a lousy infielder, not because of some stupid roster move.

High level contract negotiations take everything into account. It's clear that you are a management over employee kind of guy. In the service, trade and non-degreed industries that shit may still fly but in the professional world it's a whole different ballgame.

[jspchief]

Originally Posted by vailpass

High level contract negotiations take everything into account. It's clear that you are a management over employee kind of guy. In the service, trade and non-degreed industries that shit may still fly but in the professional world it's a whole different ballgame.

I am definately a management over employee kind of guy. I'm a business owner.

To use your drywaller versus trim carpenter reference... Soriano may have been hired as a trim carpenter, but the cotract he signed didn't specify that he would only do trim carpentry. It specified that he would swing a hammer at whatever I asked him to swing a hammer at. He's very good at swinging that hammer, but doesn't work well with wood, so to get my money's worth (guaranteed contract) I'm moving him to drywaller.

As for "not working in professional trades", that's a ridiculous statement. In professional positions, contracts are held to the terms under which they were signed. You're pretending that Soriano (or any other professional) has a right to some term that was never agreed to in the contract, and in fact the contract states exactly the opposite.

[Sure-Oz]

I would try to trade him if I were them and get something, its obvious he dont want to play LF.

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by jspchief

I am definately a management over employee kind of guy. I'm a business owner.

To use your drywaller versus trim carpenter reference... Soriano may have been hired as a trim carpenter, but the cotract he signed didn't specify that he would only do trim carpentry. It specified that he would swing a hammer at whatever I asked him to swing a hammer at. He's very good at swinging that hammer, but doesn't work well with wood, so to get my money's worth (guaranteed contract) I'm moving him to drywaller.

As for "not working in professional trades", that's a ridiculous statement. In professional positions, contracts are held to the terms under which they were signed. You're pretending that Soriano (or any other professional) has a right to some term that was never agreed to in the contract, and in fact the contract states exactly the opposite.

I understand and respect your view as a business owner.
You may very well be able to tell a guy to swing a hammer wherever you say and he may very well take that shit because he has very few options open to him as an uneducated, non-professional laborer.

That type of "supervision" does not fly with any type of employee who has options be they accountants, nurses, lawyers, doctors, artists, pro athletes or any of the rest of us who would tell you to go **** yourself when you told us to perform a function outside the scope of our employment that was detrimental or undesirable to our career.

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by Sure-Oz

I would try to trade him if I were them and get something, its obvious he dont want to play LF.

They are working on a trade as we speak and....god that girl in your sig has a nice can.


What were we talking about?

[jspchief]

Originally Posted by vailpass

That type of "supervision" does not fly with any type of employee who has options be they accountants, nurses, lawyers, doctors, artists, pro athletes or any of the rest of us who would tell you to go **** yourself when you told us to perform a function outside the scope of our employment that was detrimental or undesirable to our career.

None of those employers are expected to pay out the life of your contract when you do them to go fuck themselves. That's the part you seem to be ignoring.

If he wants to tell them to fuck off, no one is stopping him. If he expects to still get paid, he's kidding himself, just like any doctor, lawyer, accountant or whatever.

You act like he's being asked to do something so far beyond what he signed a contract to do, but the article suggests that the contract he signed specifically addressed this scenario.

[Coach]

Let Washington keep Soriano on the disqualified list as long as they have to until Soriano quit being a crybaby and start being a man and play some outfield. And he doesn't deserve to get paid either, until he man up, and start playing outfield.

I don't want him on the Royals roster, nor I don't want him to be associated with anything about the Royals, period.

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by jspchief

None of those employers are expected to pay out the life of your contract when you do them to go fuck themselves. That's the part you seem to be ignoring.

If he wants to tell them to fuck off, no one is stopping him. If he expects to still get paid, he's kidding himself, just like any doctor, lawyer, accountant or whatever.

You act like he's being asked to do something so far beyond what he signed a contract to do, but the article suggests that the contract he signed specifically addressed this scenario.

Try hard to take off your supervisor's hat and see it from the athlete's point of view. You act like these people are menial construction laborers.
Doctors, lawyers, etc. can tell you to **** off and have as good or better a position the same day. So can Soriano.

Soriano is not a grunt employee. He is a highly compensated specialist; one of only a few people in the world who can do what he does. He has one of the most powerful unions in the world behind him. This gives him a hell of a lot more leverage than you seem to realize. The Nats may be talking tough but behind closed doors they are looking real hard for a trade that makes sense and saves face for them.

[jspchief]

Originally Posted by vailpass

Try hard to take off your supervisor's hat and see it from the athlete's point of view. You act like these people are menial construction laborers.
Doctors, lawyers, etc. can tell you to **** off and have as good or better a position the same day. So can Soriano.

Soriano is not a grunt employee. He is a highly compensated specialist; one of only a few people in the world who can do what he does. He has one of the most powerful unions in the world behind him. This gives him a hell of a lot more leverage than you seem to realize. The Nats may be talking tough but behind closed doors they are looking real hard for a trade that makes sense and saves face for them.

So you think the team should still have to pay him even after he tells them to fuck off?

And you think that happens in any other industry other than professional sports?

He is being asked to do something that falls within the parameters of his contract. What is the point of the contract if he doesn't have to adhere to it?

[penguinz]

Originally Posted by jspchief

So you think the team should still have to pay him even after he tells them to fuck off?

And you think that happens in any other industry other than professional sports?

He is being asked to do something that falls within the parameters of his contract. What is the point of the contract if he doesn't have to adhere to it ?

You keep saying this yet you have no f'ing idea what is in his contract.

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by jspchief

So you think the team should still have to pay him even after he tells them to fuck off?

And you think that happens in any other industry other than professional sports?

He is being asked to do something that falls within the parameters of his contract. What is the point of the contract if he doesn't have to adhere to it?

In any other industry Soriano would be free to seek gainful employment elsewhere. Even in the case of a non-compete an employer would have a hard time enforcing it if it appeared they acted in bad faith. I could tell my employer to shove it today and be working tomorrow. Soriano can't do that so they have to pay him even if they bench him. The DQ talk is just talk, no way the MLBPU lets it happen.

If the Nats don't want to pay him they can:
A-trade him
B-play him at 2nd
C-work something else out with him

As a small business owner it seems to irk the hell out of you to think that the employer does not hold all the power.