Soriano Refuses to Play Outfield

No one can say Alfonso Soriano isn’t a man of his word. He has consistently said he would not move from second base to left field for his new team, the Washington Nationals.

And in his first game since returning from the World Baseball Classic, Soriano refused to take the field against the Dodgers on Monday at Viera, Fla., forcing Manager Frank Robinson to send another outfielder from the dugout while the rest of the players, the umpires and Dodger leadoff batter Rafael Furcal stood and waited.

Robinson had explained the team’s position to Soriano before the game and knew the four-time All-Star would not play. The Nationals waited to replace him until the team took the field to establish concretely that Soriano was insubordinate.

General Manager Jim Bowden was incensed. He said that if Soriano refuses to play in the next two games, Wednesday and Thursday, the Nationals will take action.

“We told him if we get to Thursday, and he refuses to play left field, at that point we will request that the commissioner’s office place him on the disqualified list -- no pay, no service time,” Bowden said.

Soriano, who was acquired from the Texas Rangers in a December trade, lost his arbitration case this winter and is due to be paid $10 million. He would not speak to reporters.

“If he refuses to play and goes home, and the commissioner’s office accepts our request to place him on the disqualified list, then at that point, if he were to sit out this year, he would not be a free agent, he would stay our property because his service time would stay the same,” Bowden said.

-- Steve Henson

Boston traded pitcher Bronson Arroyo to Cincinnati for outfielder Wily Mo Pena.

Arroyo, 29, was 14-10 with a 4.51 earned-run average last season. The right-hander signed in January a three-year contract worth $11.25 million.

Pena, 24, batted .254 with 19 home runs and 51 runs batted in last season. He struck out 116 times and walked 20.

The Red Sox still have Curt Schilling, Tim Wakefield, Josh Beckett, Matt Clement, David Wells and Jon Papelbon as starters.

Pena played for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic and had four singles in 10 at-bats in three games.

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Seattle traded left-hander Matt Thornton to the Chicago White Sox for outfielder Joe Borchard.

Thornton, 29, was 0-4 with a 5.21 ERA in 55 games last season. He has given up 11 runs and 18 hits in seven innings of exhibition games this spring for a 14.14 ERA.

Borchard, 27, was at triple-A Charlotte for most of 2005 and finished second in the International League with 29 home runs. The switch-hitter spent the last month of the season with the White Sox, playing in seven games and getting five hits in 12 at-bats.

This spring, Borchard is batting .324 with two homers and seven RBIs in 14 games.