Alfonso Soriano, in the uniform he should still be wearing

Alfonso Soriano is reportedly set to sign an 8-year $136 million deal with the Chicago Cubs. (That's $17 mil a year, folks.)

I always hoped he'd return to the Yankees. To me, he's like the girl who got away, and you always regret it. Sori is the real deal, as we all know. Not only did he join the exclusive 40-40 club this year, but he did it one better by making it 40-40-40 (homers, steals, doubles). Plus he threw in 95 RBI from mostly the lead-off spot, and 22 outfiled assists in his first season as an outfielder.

We traded this guy for ARod.

I just watched the YES Network DVD on the 100-year history of the Yankees, and was reminded how well Soriano hit in the clutch for the Yankees in 2001. In fact, his homerun in the 7th game of the World Series should have been the game winner, if not for those bloops and broken bat hits Arizona came up with in the bottom of the 9th. I believe he also got the game-winning hit in the 5th game to send the series back to Arizona.

So, yes, I'm still pining for Soriano. I'd love to see him in pinstripes again. Unfortunately, the Cubs are locking this guy up for a looong time.