Baseball Guru
12-19-2001, 03:19 PM
By NANCY ARMOUR
CHICAGO (AP) - Moises Alou is joining good friend Sammy Sosa in the Chicago Cubs outfield.
The Cubs and Alou finalized an agreement Wednesday on a $27 million, three-year deal, with a mutual option for the 2005 season. The four-time All-Star was to be introduced at a Wrigley Field news conference.
The Cubs were looking for a left fielder and No. 5 hitter to replace Rondell White, who finalized a $10 million, two-year deal with the New York Yankees on Monday. But it was White's departure that made it financially possible for the Cubs to go after Alou.
And Sosa did his part to get his friend to Chicago. Alou said Sosa called him ``five or six times'' in the last week to encourage him to sign with the Cubs.
``(He called) to tell me how much he wanted me helping him in the lineup, about the things that we could do together and, above all, he showed me enormous respect and reaffirmed that our friendship - of many years - is sincere,'' Alou told the Listin Diario, a Dominican Republic newspaper, before leaving for Chicago.
Alou is expected to hit behind Sosa and Fred McGriff, giving the Cubs one of the NL's most potent 3-4-5 combinations. Alou led the NL in hitting for most of the season before finishing tied for third with a .331 average.
He also hit 27 homers with 108 RBIs for the Houston Astros.
A career .306 hitter, he has 202 homers and 834 RBIs in 10 years in the majors.
Though Alou played right field for the Astros last season, he's spent most of his career in left. And the Cubs could use a steady presence there. Except for Henry Rodriguez, the Cubs haven't had the same left fielder on opening day two years in a row since Brian Dayett in 1986-87.
Alou also gives the Cubs another solid veteran in the clubhouse. The son of Felipe Alou, he's a four-time All-Star and has a World Series ring from the 1997 Florida Marlins.
He's also proven himself to be a hard worker. After missing the entire 1999 season with knee problems, Alou had a career year in 2000, finishing second in the NL with a .355 average.
CHICAGO (AP) - Moises Alou is joining good friend Sammy Sosa in the Chicago Cubs outfield.
The Cubs and Alou finalized an agreement Wednesday on a $27 million, three-year deal, with a mutual option for the 2005 season. The four-time All-Star was to be introduced at a Wrigley Field news conference.
The Cubs were looking for a left fielder and No. 5 hitter to replace Rondell White, who finalized a $10 million, two-year deal with the New York Yankees on Monday. But it was White's departure that made it financially possible for the Cubs to go after Alou.
And Sosa did his part to get his friend to Chicago. Alou said Sosa called him ``five or six times'' in the last week to encourage him to sign with the Cubs.
``(He called) to tell me how much he wanted me helping him in the lineup, about the things that we could do together and, above all, he showed me enormous respect and reaffirmed that our friendship - of many years - is sincere,'' Alou told the Listin Diario, a Dominican Republic newspaper, before leaving for Chicago.
Alou is expected to hit behind Sosa and Fred McGriff, giving the Cubs one of the NL's most potent 3-4-5 combinations. Alou led the NL in hitting for most of the season before finishing tied for third with a .331 average.
He also hit 27 homers with 108 RBIs for the Houston Astros.
A career .306 hitter, he has 202 homers and 834 RBIs in 10 years in the majors.
Though Alou played right field for the Astros last season, he's spent most of his career in left. And the Cubs could use a steady presence there. Except for Henry Rodriguez, the Cubs haven't had the same left fielder on opening day two years in a row since Brian Dayett in 1986-87.
Alou also gives the Cubs another solid veteran in the clubhouse. The son of Felipe Alou, he's a four-time All-Star and has a World Series ring from the 1997 Florida Marlins.
He's also proven himself to be a hard worker. After missing the entire 1999 season with knee problems, Alou had a career year in 2000, finishing second in the NL with a .355 average.