Hot- Stove

Trading season is only about a month away, and suddenly Alfonso Soriano’s broken hand is looking as much like a timely opportunity to showcase potential bargaining chips as a cause for concern. Matt Murton and Eric Patterson platooned in left during the first weekend of the City Series, combining to go 7-for-11 with two walks in the three games. Micah Hoffpauir, another potential part of the left-field mix, sat on the bench with his .400 average through 18 big-league games. They had combined to hit .310 for Triple-A Iowa. None of these three will figure when Soriano returns at the All-Star break, if not earlier. But the better they do while they’re out there, the easier it will be for Hendry, the Cubs’ general manager, to use them in midseason trades to fill needs. Carlos Zambrano’s injury and the recent hitting of Jim Edmonds makes it more likely that Hendry will pursue pitching — C.C. Sabathia and Rich Harden top the list — than another left-handed bat. — Chicago Tribune