MLB Insider provides updates on Chicago Cubs offseason targets Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto

The Chicago Cubs are in the mix to sign Shohei Ohtani, but they will not be signing him at the upcoming MLB Winter Meetings.

He will not be signing with any team when the meetings happen in Nashville according to USA Today’s MLB insider Bob Nightengale.

Nightengale writes that Ohtani’s agent is not expected to be in attendance.

So, Chicago Cubs fans will have to wait to see if their team wins the biggest free agent sweepstakes this offseason.

Nightengale also feels Ohtani will get a $500 million deal with whoever convinces him to join their club.

Just imagine Ohtani launching home runs over the Wrigley Field Ivy 82 games a year. Once he can pitch, he can be teamed up with Justin Steele in 2025 to put together a formidable one-two punch in the rotation.

Ohtani will be worth the hefty price tag as he is a box-office draw. Plus, he is the best player in baseball.

He belted 44 home runs with a .304 average and a 1.066 OPS last season for the Los Angeles Angels. He posted a 3.14 ERA before needing to be shut down with an elbow injury. That injury will prevent him from pitching next season.

Nightengale also provided an update on Juan Soto.

Soto to the New York Yankees is looking like it will not happen. The San Diego Padres are asking for too much.

The Chicago Cubs deep farm system might allow them to swoop in a trade for an upgrade over Cody Bellinger–as crazy as that sounds.

One general manager told Nightengale a team willing to pay the cost to acquire is a sign of desperation.

The Cubs might not be that desperate of a team as they do have other options. Although, Bob has them ranked among his top five teams when it comes to being desperate. That is because the club has already made a big move when they hired manager Craig Counsell away from the Milwaukee Brewers.

It was a move that signals that the Cubbies want to dominate the division. Signing Ohtani or trading for Soto would be the next step.