Source: AP (via Yahoo)
Alfonso Soriano doesn't want to play left field. He really, really doesn't want to play left field. The Expos played the Dodgers last night, and Soriano was penciled in to start in left. The team headed out, and Soriano wasn't there. Frank Robinson came out of the dugout to make a lineup change, moving Ryan Church from center to left and putting Brandon Watson in center.
So now we've got a serious situation brewing over there.
"The player refused to take the field, which we believe is a violation of his contract," Bowden said.
...
"We told him if we get to Thursday, and he refuses to play left field, we told him at that point we will request that the commissioner's office place him on the disqualified list, at that time -- no pay, no service time," Bowden said.
"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."
Soriano is going to kill his reputation with this if he doesn't just make a go of it. They clearly aren't going to trade him, they're going to try to make him just lose this season.
This is something to watch, at least.
In other news, Tampa Bay's projected closer, Shinji Mori, tore his labrum and is out for the season. Chad Orvella and Dan Miceli are now in the running for save opportunities.