Cubs likely will ‘revisit’ bringing Sosa out of cold

Could the longstanding deepfreeze between the Cubs and former slugger Sammy Sosa be on the verge of a thaw?

The franchise’s all-time homerun leader and reputed user of performance-enhancing drugs effectively has been divorced from the organization since leaving the ballpark during the final game of the 2004 season. He was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in a personality-dump that offseason.

But Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts suggested Saturday the team might reach out to Sosa to mend the relationship, which could lead to Sosa appearing at a future Cubs Convention.

‘‘Maybe we should revisit that,’’ Ricketts told reporters Saturday morning after a Q&A session with fans. ‘‘When we got here, there really wasn’t much communication, and we haven’t really focused on it. But maybe it’s an issue we pick up this year and see what we can do about it.’’

Ricketts said he didn’t know whether the lack of contact with Sosa had more to do with the falling out between Sosa and the team or the suspected PED use that kept him far short of the required vote for Hall of Fame induction.

‘‘With Sammy, it’s awkward,’’ Ricketts told a fan who asked about Sosa’s continued absence. ‘‘I think over time there’ll be a good solution for all this stuff. But you saw what happened with the Hall of Fame voting this year. It’d be nice to put this chapter to rest and just welcome back all the guys who are from that era who people suspect of doing whatever. So we’ll work towards that. We’ll take a look at that.’’