Cubs sign Alou

CHICAGO -- Sammy Sosa might want a little payback after everything he did to lure Moises Alou to the Chicago Cubs.

Call it a recruitment bonus.

"Tell Moises he's got to pay me some interest, a percentage," Sosa said, laughing.

Alou certainly has the money now. The free agent outfielder finalized a $27 million, three-year deal with the Cubs on Wednesday, ending negotiations that included numerous phone calls from Sosa.

"He's got a lot of talent to convince people, to sell a team," Alou said with a smile. "Everyone in the Dominican Republic is really excited about me being a Chicago Cub and me playing with Sammy."

Instead of cold, hard cash, Sosa will gladly take the protection his longtime friend will give him in the lineup. Alou will likely bat fifth, behind Sosa and Fred McGriff, giving Chicago one of the best 3-4-5 combinations in the NL.

Alou led the NL in hitting for most of the season before finishing tied for third with a .331 average. The four-time All-Star also hit 27 homers with 108 RBIs for the Houston Astros.

A career .306 hitter, he's one of the best clutch hitters in the game. Last year he was .323 with 80 RBIs with runners in scoring position.

"I just said a couple of times, I'm not your agent and I'm not here to make a commission," Sosa said. "I'm here to try and let you know that this is the only place that you can feel comfortable and this is the only place where really people are going to appreciate everything you do. It's not about the money, because money, you have money already.

"He's going to make the Chicago Cubs better," Sosa added. "We haven't had a 3-4-5 like that in a long time. Now we're stronger, and we're going to go out there and compete against anybody. Now we have a chance to win the division."

If Todd Hundley rebounds from a poor season last year and Alex Gonzalez plays as well as he did with Toronto, the Cubs will have one of the best lineups in the league.

At least that's what Chicago, which went 88-74 and finished five games behind in the NL Central, hopes will happen.

Alou also gives the Cubs some stability in left field. Chicago thought it was getting that when it traded for Rondell White in July 2000, but he was injury prone. He missed the last month-and-a-half of the 2000 season with a dislocated shoulder, and almost all of the second half this year with a groin injury.

"I like playing on grass, the atmosphere is unbelievable and to be part of that is going to be a lot of fun," Alou said.

Wrigley Field was always one of Alou's favorite places to visit, and the Cubs have been at the top of his list of teams he'd like to play for since he was in Montreal. After getting hit hard by Alou in his three seasons with the Astros, the Cubs were equally enamored.

Financially, though, it just didn't seem possible. But all that changed last week, when White reached an agreement with the New York Yankees at baseball's winter meetings.

Suddenly, the Cubs had most of the money they needed to make a deal. Alou will get $6 million next season, then $9.5 million each in 2003 and 2004. There's a mutual $11.5 million option in 2005. The deal also includes a $2 million buyout.

Chicago cleared more money Wednesday by trading outfielder Michael Tucker and his $2.25 million salary to Kansas City for a player to be named.

"We feel Moises is absolutely the perfect fit," said Jim Hendry, the Cubs' vice president of player personnel. "The good thing about this is we did not have to trade a lot of our young players in the system to acquire a quality player. We felt like we got the best player available without having to give up our kids."

Alou said he had a feeling the 2001 season would be his last in Houston. He wouldn't have minded staying with the Astros, but the team never made him an offer and he knew he'd be looking for a new home this winter.

During one of Houston's visits to Chicago last season, Alou said he wondered if there was any way he could get to the Cubs. And as he ate at a downtown restaurant Tuesday night, he couldn't help but remember that thought.

"This is one of the teams I wanted to be part of," he said. "It's finally happened. To be part of this team with its great tradition and great fans and a very good town for baseball and sports, to be a part of it feels very good."

But Alou, who comes from one of baseball's royal families, isn't here simply to soak up the atmosphere at Wrigley Field. As he put on his new cap, the diamonds in his 1997 World Series ring sparkled in the light.

He's been to the playoffs three times, including 1997, when the Florida Marlins won the World Series. Alou drove in 15 runs during that postseason -- including three homers and nine RBIs during the World Series.

"I like to win, I don't like to lose and hopefully the rest of the guys on the team have the same attitude," he said. "I think this city deserves a winner here."