June 28

Everyone wants the rumors and speculation to end, to see Sammy Sosa traded to the Yankees. Don Baylor wants the trade, because he wants to get on with the task of changing the characterization of the Cubs from lovable to tough. The Cubs players want the trade because they're weary of it all. In New York, Joe Torre is sick of answering questions and his players are sick and tired. How frustrated are the Yankees right now? They've had four ejections all season -- all within the past eight days.

Most of all, however, Sammy Sosa wants the trade, because he knows the Cubs want to unload him and he wants to get on with what was a wonderful life.

	Sosa's fans at Wrigley are hoping he won't get traded.

When Sammy finally becomes a Yankee, we'll realize what a fascinating negotiation it was from beginning to end. What is remarkable is that both sides have done such a shrewd job of starting from difficult negotiating positions and turning them into a deal that makes sense for both clubs.

The Yankees were shrewd because they created the illusion of leverage, first by going through the charade of the Juan Gonzalez deal -- as if they ever thought that Gonzalez would accept a one-year extension to go to a city and a ballpark he doesn't like. But that forced the Cubs into working more quickly on a deal, as did floating names from Moises Alou to Mo Vaughn to Matt Stairs to B.J. Surhoff.

No knock on any of those guys, but George Steinbrenner is a show biz guy looking to leverage his potential Yankees/Devils/Nets network against MSG (the Yankees' current cable broadcaster whose rights expire after this season). Sosa would bring in hundreds of thousands of new, non-Jeter viewers and put 10,000 people from the neighborhood into the seats every night. That isn't going to happen with Stairs or Surhoff.

Everyone knew George wanted Sosa. He had to create illusions that he didn't.

As for the Cubs, it didn't take long for everyone to realize there was no other market for Sosa. Oh, they floated the Red Sox and the Boston papers went wild, but except for a "call-if-you'll-take-Israel Alcantara" approach, Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette was never interested once he thought of all the ramifications. The Cubs also floated rumors about the Blue Jays' interest, but while GM Gord Ash will extend past his budget in an effort to lure back fans with a division winner, that money is going into what the homer-happy Jays really need -- pitching.

And Cubs president Andy MacPhail kept alive the notion that keeping Sosa remained an option, but that notion had floated out across Lake Michigan by the weekend.

By Wednesday, the Cubs and Yankees were still staring at one another, waiting to see who blinks. But look at the deal the Cubs have: either Alfonso Soriano or D'Angelo Jimenez, Double-A outfielder Jackson Melian, right-hander Jake Westbrook and Ricky Ledee. OK, the Cubs would like left-hander Alex Graman and both Jimenez and Soriano, but that's in an ideal world that doesn't exist.

Hats off to MacPhail and GM Ed Lynch, who over the winter took what few chips they had and turned them into Eric Young, Ricky Gutierrez and Damon Buford, who dramatically improved them in the middle of the field. Some in the Cubs organization like Jimenez, who is out all season after a winter automobile accident, better than Soriano because he is a better defensive infielder. Granted, Soriano may never be a middle infielder because he doesn't have the calm hands necessary for defensive consistency, but he can run, he can throw and he has tremendous bat speed.

"We love him as an impact center fielder," says one AL GM who tried to trade for Soriano earlier this season. "One of the things you try to get in this kind of deal is an impact player, and Soriano is going to be one. My scout likens him to Vladimir Guerrero, at least a human Vladimir Guerrero."

Melian is a high-ceiling prospect (he and Soriano cost the Yankees $5 million in international market bidding), Westbrook has a chance to be a Jon Leiber in time. As for Ledee, once he relaxes he is a slashing hitter who could be a 25-homer, 45-double guy at Wrigley.

All things considered, that's a lot better deal than what the Mariners got for Junior Griffey. Granted, the circumstances are different -- but not that different. Each one of these star deals is going to have a negotiating life of its own. Go back to another deal with its own life that MacPhail engineered for the Twins in 1989. The national media, always star-obsessed, lampooned the trade that sent Cy Young Award winner Frank Viola to the Mets for Rick Aguilera, Kevin Tapani and David West, whose waist size was larger than his jacket size. West never did anything, but Tapani and Aguilera were vital contributors when the Twins won the World Series two years later. it took a decade for the Mets to get back to the postseason.

It may be that the Yankees trade for John Jaha or even Ed Sprague before they get Sosa, but when and if they do, there will be no downside in the immediate future. Sosa will walk into that Yankee clubhouse and give the proper respect to Paul O'Neill, Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams. He will play every day, he will try hard, he will be a Yankee.

And the Cubs can move on, building around a young nucleus of Soriano or Jimenez, Melian, Corey Patterson, Kerry Wood and Carlos Zambrano. It's taken a long time, but, in the end, two shrewd negotiating teams are getting what they wanted from the beginning.