Chase Whitley Traded For Alfonso Soriano?

The Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees are reportedly close to a deal that would send the former Yankee Alfonso Soriano back to the Bronx for a mid level prospect. Speculation immediately started as to who the prospect will be, who the prospect shouldn't be, how much money the Yankees will take on, how this will affect Curtis Granderson and the 2014 payroll luxury tax thresh hold, etc and we may have a little more clarity now then we did early this morning.

The Cubs were said to be scouting Scranton Wilkes Barre RailRiders relief pitcher Chase Whiteley over the weekend and Donnie Collins reports that he has had five to six scouts ask him about Whitley in the last month alone. Could Chase Whitley and his 3.52 ERA and 38 1/3 innings pitched while striking out nearly nine guys per nine innings and walking right at three guys per nine innings be the guy that lands us Alfonso Soriano?

Whitley was drafted in the 15th round of the 2010 MLB First Year Players Draft out of the Troy University in Alabama after only being a pitcher for his Junior and Senior seasons. Whitley flew through the Yankees system and made it all the way to AAA Scranton by April of the 2012 season.

With so many guys in front of Chase Whitley not only this season but next season this would be almost like getting Alfonso Soriano for free. With guys like Dellin Betances, Mark Montgomery, Shawn Kelley, Preston Claiborne, David Robertson, Adam Warren, Dan Burawa, and Tommy Kahnle to name a few ahead of him on the depth chart I see him as nothing more than a roster fill in at this point. If we could land Soriano for Whitley and taking on some cash I would be jumping up and down and so should you.