Alfonso Soriano said he's hoping to finish out the last two years of his contract with the Cubs. "I want to finish my career here and try to win before I retire," he said. "I hope to stay here, and when they win, I want to be part of that team." Soriano, of course, has been subject to trade speculation all offseason. The Cubs are reportedly willing to eat about $26 million of the $36 million remaining on his contract if they can move him for a prospect.

Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports that Alfonso Soriano has declined an invitation to participate for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. Soriano politely declined, stating his desire to remain with his team. The veteran outfielder needs more time in spring training to prepare for the regular season, and didn't want that to be disrupted.

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes that the Cubs "will need a player of note in return" if they're going to trade Alfonso Soriano and assume a majority of his contract. Cafardo says that Cubs president Theo Epstein "has come to realize what a tremendous teammate Soriano is and how willing he is to help younger players," which has enhanced the outfielder's value in Epstein's eyes. The report adds that Soriano will only accept a trade to an East Coast club.

According to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, the Cubs would eat about $26 million of the $36 million remaining on Alfonso Soriano's contract if they can get a prospect. The Cubs have been shopping the 36-year-old outfielder all winter, hoping that his productive 2012 campaign will yield a decent return. The Phillies have discussed different trade scenarios, but it doesn't sound like anything is close. Soriano batted .262/.322/.499 with 32 home runs and 108 RBI in 151 games this past season for Chicago.

Jayson Stark of ESPN.com reports that the Phillies are "kicking around" a potential trade for Alfonso Soriano, but it's a "long shot" to happen. Stark says they were "initially uninterested" when the Cubs first approached them about Soriano, but they're at least now giving it some thought. CBS Sports' Jon Heyman says one scenario would involve Domonic Brown heading to the Cubs straight up for Soriano, which would be a pretty terrible deal for the Phillies even if Chicago picked up a big chunk of Soriano's deal.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that the Phillies have explored a trade for the Cubs' Alfonso Soriano. One scenario would involve Domonic Brown heading to Chicago straight up for the veteran outfielder, but Heyman thinks that's unlikely to happen. Soriano, 36, batted .262/.322/.499 with 32 home runs and 108 RBI in 151 games this past summer for the Cubs. He's owed a total of $36 million over the next two seasons.

According to Jon Morosi of FOX Sports, the Cubs plan on speaking to other teams about outfielder Alfonso Soriano during the upcoming Winter Meetings. Even if there are interested parties, a deal could prove to be complicated as Soriano still has a full no-trade clause and is owed $36 million over the next two seasons. The 36-year-old is coming off a resurgent season in which he hit .262/.322/.499 with 32 homers and 108 RBI. But that's an awfully lot of money, and Soriano will have to approve the destination.

Alfonso Soriano told Doug Padilla of ESPNChicago.com that he's open to a trade. "It depends on how long and if they want to rebuild for next year then I'll be here," said Soriano. "But if they want to take longer than two years, they have to think about moving (me) out to another team to win quickly. I said two more years on the contract and maybe I will retire after that so I want one more shot to go to the World Series before I retire." Soriano enjoyed a resurgent season this year, but is still owed $18 million in each of the next two seasons. The Cubs would likely have to absorb some of his remaining salary in order to find a taker.

Alfonso Soriano is not in the starting lineup for Wednesday's season finale. Other notable regulars like Anthony Rizzo, Darwin Barney and David DeJesus are also sitting. Soriano will finish the year with over 30 homers and 100 RBI for the first time since 2005. He turns 37 in January and is still owed $18 million over the next two seasons.

Alfonso Soriano hit his 31st home run of the season in Sunday's loss to the Cardinals. Soriano's solo shot in the sixth inning pushed the Cubs to within one run of the visiting Redbirds, but that's as close as they would get. The veteran outfielder is batting .263/.317/.504 with a whopping 105 RBI.