Yankees, Cubs Still Unable to Agree on Sosa Deal

As agent Tom Reich seemed to burn the last of Sammy Sosa’s bridges to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, sources said that the Cubs and New York Yankees were still unable to agree on the players who would go to Chicago in a trade for the slugger and, perhaps, former Dodger pitcher Ismael Valdes.

The sources said the situation could be resolved today, although the Yankees also continue to show interest in Houston’s Moises Alou, who has a no-trade clause and has expressed little interest in going to New York, and Baltimore’s B.J. Surhoff in what may be a charade designed to put pressure on the Cubs to lower their demands for Sosa.

The Cubs are believed to be seeking at least five players in a deal and more if Valdes is included.

But some of George Steinbrenner’s baseball people, sources said, are trying to convince the owner that the Yankees can’t afford to wipe out the cream of their system as long as their major league pitching staff is riddled by injury and inconsistency. They fear that they would have little left to trade if Mike Mussina or a pitcher of his caliber becomes available at the July 31 trade deadline.

The Cubs have shown interest in minor league pitching prospects Ted Lilly, Jake Westbrook and Alex Graman, who started for the Class-A Tampa Yankees on Tuesday night with Steinbrenner and a Cub scout in attendance, as well as triple-A shortstop Alfonso Soriano and double-A outfielder Jackson Melian.

Chicago is also seeking a major league outfield replacement for Sosa, presumably either Ricky Ledee or Shane Spencer.

“The Cubs and Yankees are playing a game of chicken,” a major league executive said. “It will be interesting to see who capitulates first. George wants Sosa and the Cubs have problems if they keep him given his [tenuous] relationship with [Manager] Don Baylor and the fact he’s in his walk year next year [and eligible for free agency when it ends]. I don’t think the Cubs have any interest in paying Sosa what the Yankees will, and I don’t think there’s any other clubs who can come close to matching the Yankee package.”

In addition, by trading Sosa and Valdes, the Cubs would be freeing at least $16 million in salary that could be used for free agents. If the Yankees and Cubs agree on players, the Yankees--who are known to have had recent trade talks with Pittsburgh regarding pitchers Francisco Cordova and Todd Ritchie--will have the same 72-hour window to reach a contract extension with Sosa that they did with Juan Gonzalez.

Gonzalez opted to stay in Detroit and retain his free-agent eligibility at the end of the season. Sosa, who makes $11 million this year and next, is expected to demand at least five years, topping out in the $17-million to $20-million range.

Reich, who has a long and close relationship with Steinbrenner, said he did not think the contract demands would be an obstacle.

“If the Cubs and Yankees reach a conditional trade, the likelihood of something being resolved from our end is very high,” Reich told reporters in Pittsburgh, where the Cubs played Tuesday night. “I always thought Sammy would be in Chicago forever, but that’s not going to be the case. It would have been preferable, but that’s not going to be the case. If we get our chance [to reach a contract agreement], we don’t expect to fail.”