“They have three weeks to fix it.”

Those were the parting words of Alfonso Soriano when he left the Washington Nationals spring training facilities to join the Dominican Republic team for the World Baseball Classic.

Soriano and the Nationals have had an ongoing dispute about what position he will play in the 2006 season. Soriano has played second base for the majority of his career and wants to continue playing the position. The Nationals don’t want to displace long time second baseman Jose Vidro and want Soriano to move to the outfield.

It’s hard to take pity on Soriano – especially since he just received a record $10 million salary in arbitration in a case he lost – but he has earned the right to play where he wants. Not only that, the Nationals are better off letting Soriano play second base.

Soriano is arguably the best hitting second baseman in baseball. In the last five seasons, he has averaged 32 home runs and 92 RBIs while hitting .281. During that span, he has also averaged 33 stolen bases and 100 runs scored. He has the power and speed to hit anywhere in the lineup and be effective.

Jose Vidro – Soriano’s competition for the second base job – doesn’t have Soriano’s power or speed, but he does have better bat control. Vidro is a career .302 hitter and has never struck out more than 70 times in a season while Soriano has reached triple digit strikeouts in five straight seasons.

Both Soriano and Vidro are good players, and both players need to be in the Nationals’ lineup for the team to win. But even though Vidro is the incumbent, he should be making the move to the outfield instead of Soriano.

Soriano clearly isn’t happy about the potential move to the outfield. The risk that his offensive numbers will suffer because of the unwanted move is too great to chance. Mike Piazza’s numbers dipped dramatically when he tried to play first base, and the Mets quickly moved him back to catcher .

Besides, it isn’t uncommon for a veteran player to change positions to make room for a new player. Craig Biggio moved to the outfield to make room for Jeff Kent at second base. Chipper Jones also moved to the outfield to make room for Vinny Castilla at third base.

From a defensive standpoint, Vidro appears to be more capable of making the transition to the outfield. Vidro has averaged just eight errors a year during his career while Soriano has averaged 21 errors a year. Soriano has had trouble fielding grounders, fly balls and even making throws from second base, and that is the position where he most comfortable. Odds are that his already suspect defense will only get worse if he has to learn a new position. If he can’t throw the ball from second to first consistently, imagine him trying to hit a cut-off man from the outfield.

Soriano and Vidro provide the Nationals with a good combination at the top of their lineup. If Soriano can get on base in front of Vidro, the combination of Soriano’s speed and Vidro’s bat control creates a perfect hit-and-run situation. Vidro can also provide protection for Soriano to make sure Alfonso’s power numbers don’t slip.

The Nationals need both players in their lineup everyday if they want to compete in the NL East. Soriano is a rising star and one of the best hitting second baseman in the game. It is a mistake to make any changes that might have a negative impact on his game. Penciling in Soriano as the starting second baseman the best option for Alfonso and the Nationals.