It's been close to two years since Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers and by now fans have been resigned to the fact that he was most likely going to end up there no matter what. The Chicago Cubs reportedly had an offer of $50+ million per year on a contract upwards of 10 years, but Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million deal with the Dodgers. Again, maybe it wouldn't have mattered, but it sure does seem like the Cubs sabotaged themselves during the Ohtani free agent sweepstakes and confirms what fans have been saying for year, this ownership sucks.
While that $700 million contract looks eye-popping on paper, the deal includes deferrals from 2034-2043. In those 10 years, Ohtani will be paid $68 million annually, meaning the Dodgers are only paying him $2 million from 2024-2033. In reality, the current worth of the contract is $460 million and the Dodgers carry a $46 million annual value to their payroll on Ohtani's deal, not $70 million per year.
It turns out that Ohtani presented this exact contract structure to the five finalists that were trying to sign him, heading into 2024. The Dodgers obviously agreed and Ohtani signed with them, but the San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays were also in on that contract. According to Jon Heyman, two other teams were also presented with this and they declined.
The Los Angeles Angels and Cubs both passed on the unique contract structure.
Incredible. Embarrassing. Infuriating. What the fuck were the Cubs thinking? The best player to ever play baseball gave you a chance to meet his contract demands, a contract that is actually beneficial for the team's short-term and long-term success, and you say no?
I don't care if these stories are coming out this week to prove that the Dodgers aren't ruining baseball and in actuality other teams also had the chance to sign stars like Ohtani, this report by Heyman 100% holds up in my eyes because last offseason Cubs ownership made it clear that they want no part in contract deferrals.
By the way, hilarious how the two examples of free agents the Cubs did sign to big deals and had deferrals, were both on the 2016 World Series winning team as if that somehow turned out to burn the team.
I can't believe this shit. Ricketts suck forever and always. If this is how they'll continue to operate, then ownership has no one else to blame but themselves. Tom Ricketts cries every winter that Cubs fans don't like him and complain about spending, but then you find out that he said no to Ohtani's contract, which is arguably a steal for the Dodgers, considering how much revenue they've already made and will continue to make because of him.
So yeah, screw the Ricketts.
Not that Cubs fans have much confidence that this team will sign star free agents again, but if they won't do deferrals for Ohtani, then yeah, they're not doing it for anyone else. We're in a time when star players and big-market teams are indeed negotiating big contracts with deferrals and here are the Cubs willfully sitting out, giving themselves a disadvantage.
Cool stuff, Cubs.
That 2023 Ohtani pursuit went down like this, but remember we didn't know at the time if Ohtani approached the Cubs with the same contract structure. What was reported at the time was that the Cubs weren't really an option for Ohtani. But who knows, what if they weren't an option because they never budged from their offer. Unreal.
By the way, the Los Angeles Times also reported in 2023 that the Angels didn't want to match the $700 million offer, which is also what Heyman reported this week in addition to the Cubs saying no.
2023 Shohei Ohtani Pursuit and Fallout
According to SI's Tom Verducci, Ohtani never considered signing with the Cubs seriously.
Via Cubs on Tap.
“I know people talked about the Braves and they talked about the Angels and the Cubs, those teams were never really options,” Verducci said. “You make phone calls because it’s Shohei Ohtani. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime, if not more, player, so you make calls and see where it’s going. But actual suitors? Two, that’s it.”
Verducci added that he also viewed the Dodgers as Ohtani's preferred destination from the beginning of his free agency. The Blue Jays did catch Ohtani's attention, as their indoor ballpark appealed to Ohtani.
Jon Heyman named the Blue Jays and Angels as the true finalists along with the ultimate winners in the Dodgers, while listing the Giants and Cubs on the outside looking in.
The Dodgers officially introduced Ohtani and something else was revealed that goes back to the initial thought that Ohtani wasn't really looking to leave the LA area.
Despite the constant losing with the Angels and the lack of substantial progress within the organization, Ohtani was still willing to go back to his former team.
Via the Los Angeles Times.
Before Shohei Ohtani made his decision last week to sign with the Dodgers, he and his agent, Nez Balelo of CAA Sports, approached the Angels near the end of his free-agent process, giving Ohtani’s old team a chance to convince him to stay in Anaheim.
However, Angels owner Arte Moreno wouldn’t budge. According to multiple people with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly, Moreno wouldn’t match the 10-year, $700-million deal Ohtani eventually signed with the Dodgers.
As for other tidbits, the Giants publicly said that they agreed to Ohtani's contract terms that he had with the Dodgers. ESPN's Jeff Passan also reported that the Blue Jays agreed to the same terms, but again, it was the Dodgers he chose.
Ohtani's commitment with the Dodgers is directly tied to the team keeping Andrew Friedman and Mark Walter.
As far as the Cubs' attempt at signing Ohtani, they reported offered more than $50 million per year, but at no point did his camp engage in negotiations with the Cubs.
Via Bleacher Nation.
Bruce Levine reported on 670 The Score that the Cubs’ offers to Shohei Ohtani went over $50 million in AAV, and went upwards of 10 years (he didn’t EXACTLY say the Cubs offered 10/$500M or more, but that was the implication). Since the Dodgers’ offer was worth $460 million, it’s possible the Cubs’ offer was actually for more money. But the thing is, Ohtani simply never seriously engaged with the Cubs. No visit. No negotiation. He simply was not interested.
Again, it sucks no matter what has come out. As Cubs fans, we thought they had a real chance and through the first month of free agency it really did seem like they were a serious suitor. Here's what Bruce Levine was saying a month ago.
But it wasn't just Levine. National reporters also had the Cubs very much in the Ohtani sweepstakes.
Executives around the league do believe the Cubs will be a contender for Ohtani this winter.
Via MLB.com.
One NL executive who picked the Dodgers believes their greatest competition will not come from another West Coast team, but rather a team that made headlines this week with its managerial hire.
“He doesn’t seem to be driven by money, so I don't think it's just dollars,” the NL exec said. “I think it's all about fit for him. I think the Cubs will push hard for him.”
Via Jon Heyman.
“I’m not ruling out the Cubs, if they’re willing to spend $40 million dollars on a manager, they’re going to be aggressive. They mean business.”
Via The Athletic.
The Cubs were granted an audience with Ohtani in December 2017, which could mean nothing in the complex negotiations that will fascinate the baseball world. But the Cubs again plan to be involved in Ohtani’s process, a league source confirmed, which doesn’t guarantee anything other than more rumors and daydreaming about him performing at Wrigley Field.
Via Bob Nightengale.
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.
Ultimately, maybe Ohtani was never going to the Cubs even if they agreed to his terms, but it sure would have been nice if they had actually given themselves a chance. They didn't and for that fans should never let ownership off the hook for its stupidity.
