ARLINGTON — The only thing standing between Alfonso Soriano becoming a Yankee is a few minor details between the Cubs and Soriano’s agent that will be completed today.
After he scratched Soriano from the Cubs’ lineup last night in Phoenix, manager Dale Sveum told reporters that the deal with the Yankees was 99 percent done.
With the details still to be completed it’s not known if Soriano will be able to make it to Yankee Stadium for tonight’s game against the Rays.
Cubs president Theo Epstein told Chicago reporters Wednesday that Soriano has been given “two or three days” to “sign off on a deal.
Apparently, it didn’t take that long for the right-handed hitting outfielder to waive his blanket no-trade clause.
Soriano wasn’t in the Cubs lineup Wednesday night in a 7-6 Cubs win over the Diamondbacks.
Monday night a source told The Post the Cubs and Yankees were close on a deal.
With Curtis Granderson on the way back from the DL and possibly ready to play by the first week in August, Soriano’s main job will be to be the DH and the hope is he can add muscle to an anemic lineup.
Since Travis Hafner has been in a two-month free fall, the right-handed hitting Soriano could become the full-time DH. Because the Yankees will have three left-handed hitting outfielders when Granderson comes back Soriano could play left field against left-handed pitchers.
Soriano, 37, was a Yankee from 1999 to 2003 when he went to Texas in the Alex Rodriguez deal before the start of the 2004 season. Soriano has a little more than $24 million remaining on a contract. He makes $18 million this year and next and the Cubs will pay the bulk of it.
In exchange, the Cubs will get a mid-level prospect or two.
Soriano is batting .254 with 17 homers and 57 RBIs.