Once Dealt for Rodriguez, Soriano May Rejoin Yanks David Zalubowski/Associated Press Alfonso Soriano could be headed back to the Yankees if they can reach a deal with the Cubs. ARLINGTON, Tex. - When the Yankees first became enamored with Alex Rodriguez in 2004, the price to acquire him from the Texas Rangers was the young and dynamic Alfonso Soriano. A decade later, the Yankees are trying to bring back Soriano, in part to replace some of the power they have lost in Rodriguez's extended injury absence. Soriano, 37, who has a history of knee troubles, is not the right-handed-hitting threat he once was. But he still possesses more power than most players the Yankees have now, so General Manager Brian Cashman has been in discussions for several days with the Chicago Cubs on a trade that would send Soriano back to the Bronx, according to a person who has been briefed on the matter but was not authorized to speak about it publicly. The New York Post first reported the possible trade in Tuesday's editions. Through Monday, Soriano was batting .256 this season with 17 homers, 24 doubles and 51 runs batted in, predominantly as a left fielder. The 17 home runs would be second on the Yankees behind Robinson Cano's 21, and the doubles would lead the team. "He's been a productive player over his career, there's no doubt about it," Manager Joe Girardi said before the Yankees played the Texas Rangers on Tuesday. He's been an exciting player, a guy that can steal 40 bases, a guy that can hit 40 home runs. So, he's been a good player. Any deal for Soriano would necessitate the Cubs paying some of the nearly $25 million left on his contract. Soriano is being paid $18 million this year and is owed $18 million next year, and the Yankees still are concerned about keeping their payroll below the luxury-tax threshold of $189 million in 2014. Because of his age and his contract, Soriano is hardly the ideal player for the Yankees, who are already saddled with several players older than 35. But there are few better options for the Yankees, whose offense is among the worst in the American League. Cashman has been looking for a right-handed power hitter for the last month and has been tracking Soriano, as well as Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins, Michael Young of the Philadelphia Phillies and Mark Reynolds of the Cleveland Indians. The Yankees were told that for now, Young and Reynolds are not available because their teams still think they have a chance to make the playoffs. The Cubs (44-53 through Monday) have little chance, which is why they traded their best pitcher, Matt Garza, to the Rangers on Monday for prospects. They will certainly seek at least one prospect from the Yankees for Soriano, and the better the players the Yankees send, the less they would pay Soriano. If the trade is made, Soriano could play some left field for the Yankees, allowing Vernon Wells to be the designated hitter, or Soriano could be the D.H. Travis Hafner, the current D.H., has been a disappointment, batting only .210 with 12 home runs and a .393 slugging percentage. He has not hit a homer since June 25 and is batting .169 with three doubles in 19 games since then. Soriano hit eight home runs in his first 17 games in July. He first joined the Yankees in 1999 for nine games after he was signed from the Hiroshima Carp in Japan. He did not receive significant playing time until 2001, when he hit .268 with 18 home runs and 43 stolen bases while playing second base. He batted .400 in the 2001 American League Championship Series and hit a memorable home run in Game 7 of the World Series that year in Arizona. The next year, he hit .300 with 39 home runs and 41 stolen bases. But on Feb. 16, 2004, the Yankees traded him to the Rangers with Joaquin Arias for Rodriguez, who at the time was considered the best player in baseball. Soriano played only two seasons in Texas before he was traded to the Washington Nationals. He signed an eight-year, $136 million free-agent deal with the Cubs after hitting 46 homers for the Nationals in 2006. Soriano never really lived up to that big contract, at least in the minds of often-frustrated Cubs fans, who have booed him at various times during his seven years in Chicago. He was perceived as someone who did not always hustle and was not reliable in left field, a position he did not play in the major leagues until he joined the Nationals in 2006. At various times, the Cubs tried to unload him, but his contract made that prohibitive. Eventually, Cubs fans grew to appreciate his relatively steady contributions, which continued as the team struggled in recent years. He even had something of a renaissance in 2012, hitting more than 30 home runs for the first time since 2007 and driving in more than 100 runs for the first time since 2005. Soriano grew to appreciate Chicago, vetoing a trade to the Giants last year because he was afraid the cold weather in San Francisco would jeopardize his achy knees. By remaining in Chicago, he missed a chance to win a championship, something he has never been a part of in his 15 years in the major leagues, although he was three outs from one in 2001. His addition to the Yankees this year would hardly make them championship contenders. But after 10 seasons away, he may still find himself back in a Yankees uniform, which is more than can be said about Rodriguez, whose future with the team remains unclear. Ben Strauss contributed reporting from Chicago. An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the number of home runs Robinson Cano of the Yankees has so far this season. He has 21, not 24.