Baseball Trade Rumors: Alfonso Soriano to Return to the Yankees? Cubs Outfielder Says He'd Think About It

If the right number of things align for Alfonso Soriano and the New York Yankees, maybe that old saying "You can't go home again" might not be so true after all.

After slugging outfielder Curtis Granderson broke hit forearm after being hit by a pitch on Sunday during a spring training game, rumors have been heating up around the hot stove that the Yankees will be looking to reach out to Soriano to fill in the gap in the outfield.

When approached by reporters on that notion, Soriano, who was in Mesa, Ariz., indicated he'd be open to that idea.

"That's the team that opened the doors for me in the big leagues. It was a long time ago," he said. "I don't know. It happened today I don't know if they want to call or not,. If they call to me, I have to think about it. I want to think about it. I am 37 years old so I have to think about first and see what's good for me and the team, and my family, too."

Yankee fans will remember Soriano as second baseman for the Yanks from 2001 through 2003, during which he was an All-Star for the Yankees in two of those seasons before he was traded to Texas for superstar slugger Alex Rodriguez just before the 2004 season.

Soriano continued to be an All-Star for five seasons after that, along with winning four Silver Slugger awards. However, he struggled in the 2008 season and began declining in production until last season, when he hit had 32 home runs, 108 RBIs while batting .266 in 151 games and 561 at bats for Chicago, his best season in years.

The indication that Soriano would be willing to head back to New York is huge, considering he would have to waive his no-trade clause on the remaining two year, $36 million on his contract for a trade to happen. Last season, Soriano vetoed a trade to the eventual World Series Champion San Francisco Giants.

However, this time around, Soriano said that he would keep his options open.

"That was last year. At the trade deadline last year, there were six or seven teams that were contenders, but now, it's 2013 there are no contenders because the season has not started yet. After that, maybe like a couple of months, if we are not playing good, then they can decide what they want to do with me," he said.