The Chicago Cubs are going to be in the mix for superstar free agent Shohei Ohtani and several general managers across the l league believe the Cubs will actually be the most aggressive in their pursuit.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale shared the latest info from the GM Meetings in Scottsdale, Ariz., and to no one’s surprise Ohtani is the number one player on everyone’s mind. The Japanese star is expected to shatter MLB’s record for largest contract in the sport’s history and the Cubs will very much be involved in those negotiations.
But Cubs fans kinda already knew that at the very least Jed Hoyer was going to be in contact with Ohtani’s camp this offseason. You have to be. This is the best player maybe ever to play baseball and if there’s one guy who you sign to the richest deal in league history it’s Ohtani.
What makes this early report so intriguing though is that other teams view the Cubs as a serious contender for Ohtani, while some think they will be the most aggressive to sign Ohtani.
Via USA Today.
The Dodgers remain the heavy favorites. The Chicago Cubs and Rangers are serious contenders, with several GMs saying that the Cubs may be the most aggressive team for his services. And it would be foolish to count out the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets or even San Francisco Giants.
The Cubs have already shocked the baseball world this offseason with the stunning hiring of former Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell. After that big-time move to acquire Counsell, who is regarded as one of and possibly the best manager in the game, Cubs fans immediately jumped to the possibility of a huge offseason.
I still do think the Cubs will make big moves, but I also won't go complete homer here and believe they will begin the 2024 season with two or three of the very best free agents. Yet, even in my modest predictions, that still means the Cubs acquire more good players through free agency and via trades.
Hoyer spoke with the media on Tuesday and although he wasn't out there proclaiming big things, we're way past the intelligent spending quotes from last offseason.
Via The Athletic.
Hoyer had no comment on whether he’d meet with Shohei Ohtani’s representatives this week, but a league source indicated they will be in on a player widely considered to be the biggest prize in this free-agent class. Executives across baseball are fascinated to see how his free agency plays out. The fit for the Cubs is obvious.
So yeah, you should expect the Cubs to remain interested in Ohtani. It may be a long shot, but the Cubs still have a shot. By the way, the Cubs were one of the seven finalists to sign Ohtani back in 2017, before he decided to go to the Los Angeles Angels.
Ohtani wants to win and the Cubs are positioned to not only succeed in 2024, but for several seasons more.
One last thing. If you're an "online" person and follow baseball, you've probably made fun of Bob Nightengale because the longest running joke among fans is that everything he reports, you can count on the opposite happening. So, with the big headline this week of the Cubs thought to be the most aggressive team for Ohtani, Cubs fans probably groaned when they saw it was coming from Nightengale.
But hey, maybe Bob can be right about something once every five years.
C'mon Bob, be right again!
Pinwheels And Ivy Podcast: Craig Counsell to Cubs reaction.
