Sosa May Become an Oriole

The only one wanting the Chicago Cubs to divorce themselves from Sammy Sosa more than the Cubs was Sammy Sosa himself.

Now it appears they both will have their way, bringing to a close one of the happiest, most glorious, saddest and most ignoble eras in Chicago sports history.

Sosa, who is seventh all-time with 574 home runs, is expected to be traded to the Baltimore Orioles this weekend, although it cannot become official until at least Monday because it would need approval from Commissioner Bud Selig, a move made necessary because the Cubs are believed to be paying as much as half of Sosa’s $17-million salary for next season.

The Cubs and Orioles were involved in extensive negotiations Friday that were thought to have included Sosa agent Adam Katz, who became involved because Sosa would have to waive a no-trade provision in his contract and work out a deal that somehow would pay him at least $18 million in future money from Baltimore.

Sources said the proposed deal -- which still could fall apart on several fronts before reaching Selig’s desk Monday -- involves Sosa for utility man Jerry Hairston Jr. and two minor leaguers.

Cub General Manager Jim Hendry did not return phone calls seeking comment Friday.

Original rumors had Cub reliever Kyle Farnsworth and Oriole closer Jorge Julio involved. But sources said Friday the Cubs had a choice of picking two minor leaguers from a group of four, including left-handed starter Matt Riley, who has been a disappointment in Baltimore.

If the deal is completed, the Cubs will be left without a right fielder, a position Sosa has held since his trade from the White Sox in 1992. They technically have two left fielders in Todd Hollandsworth and rookie Jason Dubois, either of whom could play right.

Hairston could play left field or platoon with Todd Walker at second base. Hairston batted .303 in 86 games last season with two homers and 24 RBIs and eight stolen bases.

The Cubs had interest in free agent Magglio Ordonez to play right field, although it is now presumed he will wind up in Detroit with a five-year contract. Left-handed batter Jeromy Burnitz, who hit 37 home runs with Colorado last season, is the only other free-agent outfielder available and the Cubs were known to have been in contact with his agent.

But none of the deals are done yet and it gets complicated because Sosa needs to give his OK and the Orioles need to satisfy Sosa’s monetary demands for the next two years.

Sosa is owed $17 million for this season. He has an option for $18 million for next season or a $4.5-million buyout. But the $18 million becomes guaranteed if he is traded, plus a $4.5-million buyout for 2007.

Sources said Sosa is so eager to leave the Cubs, he would gladly waive his no-trade clause in exchange for an “out.” Baltimore’s Camden Yards would be a perfect landing spot for him because it is a hitter-friendly park and has an easy right field to patrol. Sosa also could be the designated hitter there.

The Orioles apparently became interested in Sosa when it was clear they would not sign Ordonez, leaving them, in essence, shut out of the free-agent market.

It created a perfect situation for the Cubs, who were looking to dump Sosa, and for Baltimore, looking for something to ignite their fans after Washington moved into their neighborhood from Montreal.

All along, it seemed the Mets would grab Sosa, but General Manager Omar Minaya apparently was stopped by ownership and did not return Hendry’s phone calls Friday.

If Sosa is gone, it ends a strange period in Chicago sports history, a superstar falling out of favor with management and fans. His fate appeared to be secured when he left the final game of the season just moments after it started -- caught on video camera by Cub management who quickly shared it with media -- and then blamed Manager Dusty Baker for his troublesome season that included stints on the disabled list for a sore back caused by sneezing and for hip bursitis.

Sosa, 36, who “apologized” to management and fans through Katz, has not talked with Baker or Hendry since the end of the season.

The Cubs made trading Sosa a priority, knowing it was nearly impossible for him to return after embarrassing himself in front of Baker and his teammates.

The other troubling part for the Cubs is Sosa’s decline in production. Starting with the 2001 season, his batting average has dropped from .328 to .288 to .279 to .253, his home runs from 64 to 49 to 40 to 35, his runs batted in from 160 to 108 to 103 to 80, his on-base percentage from .437 to .399 to .358 to .332, his slugging percentage from .737 to .594 to .553 to .517.

Last season, he played in his fewest games (126) since 1996, his batting average was his lowest since 1997 and his home run and RBI totals were his lowest since 1994.