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'His preference is to stay' Sosa's agent meets with Cubs about possible extension
Posted: Saturday June 10, 2000 01:57 AM
CHICAGO (AP) -- Sammy Sosa's agent said he doesn't have a gut feeling one way or the other whether the slugger will stay in Chicago but said Sosa wants to remain in a Cubs uniform. Adam Katz, Sosa's agent, met with Cubs president Andy MacPhail on Thursday as part of ongoing talks about a possible contract extension. Sosa is signed through 2001. "His preference is to stay," Katz said Friday before the Cubs began their Crosstown Series with the White Sox. "You're jumping ahead," he said when asked if Sosa would approve a trade. "The Cubs have to decide if they want to go that direction. I'm not sure they've made that decision." Sosa said he's going to concentrate on the game and let his agent worry about his contract. But he made it clear he doesn't want to leave the Cubs. "I never said I wanted to leave," he said. "I'm still here. I want to be here." Though his contract doesn't expire for another 1 1/2 years, Sosa is looking for an extension that could pay him as much as $15 million-$20 million a year. If the Cubs decide they don't want to spend that kind of money, they might look to trade Sosa and kick start their rebuilding process. As a player with 10 years in the majors and five with the same team, Sosa has veto power over any trade. But if the Cubs make it clear they feel a trade would be the best for the organization, Katz said Sosa would cooperate. All of this could be premature, though. Cubs general manager Ed Lynch said the team isn't shopping Sosa or looking to trade him. "I was asked yesterday, would I consider trading Sammy Sosa. I said I would trade anybody if it helped make this organization a better organization," Lynch said. "I think any general manager would tell you [that]. "The way our pitching's been over the last 2 1/2 weeks, we feel like we've got a chance to make some noise in the division," Lynch said. "We want to keep the team intact and see where we're going to go." The trade rumors come on the heels of Sosa's much-publicized spat earlier this week with Cubs manager Don Baylor. Sosa, unhappy about what he perceived as negative comments about his playing by Baylor, lashed out at the manager in the media. The two met after Wednesday's game and cleared the air. "With both guys, yes, it's resolved," Baylor said. And Katz said this week's blowup has nothing to do with Sosa's future. "This is not some orchestrated or contrived thing," Katz said. "Baylor is a terrific manager and Sammy knows that. They can get along just fine."
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