CHICAGO -- After efforts to deal Alfonso Soriano never materialized before Tuesday's trade deadline, Chicago Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said there is still a chance the outfielder will be moved through the waiver process this month.

Soriano, 36, is still owed $44 million and is under contract for two seasons after this one, complicating a trade. After the July 31 trade deadline, players must clear waivers before being traded. Soriano's large contract means he would almost certainly clear waivers and could be traded. If he is dealt before Aug. 31, he will be eligible for postseason play.

"We could move him potentially in August," Hoyer said. "He's had a great year and done everything this coaching staff has asked, and we really appreciate the way he has handled not only the season but the way he handled this trade deadline."

Soriano has trade veto power as a veteran of at least 10 seasons and the past five with the same club, and those rights would apply to a waiver trade as well.

Soriano told ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine on Tuesday that the Cubs were "very close" to getting a deal done with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"I didn't turn down any team, but I told my agent to tell the Cubs I would only go to one West Coast team, and that was the Dodgers," Soriano told ESPNChicago.com. "They never came to us with anything else."

Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein acknowledged Wednesday that there was some interest in Soriano.

"There were a few nibbles and there was one match of a team expressing interest," Epstein said. "They ended up not making an actual offer."

Soriano leads the Cubs with 19 home runs and 61 RBIs and is batting .270 heading into Wednesday's game.