Latest Shohei Ohtani update provides hope for Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs appeared to be out of the running to sign Shohei Ohtani.

It was reported that the Toronto Blue Jays were closing in on a deal to sign the best free agent on the market. It looked like Ohtani preferred to be a superstar in Canada rather than a legend at Wrigley Field.

Not so fast.

Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith is reporting that no deal has been finalized and that the Blue Jays are a finalist with no timeline on a potential agreement.

Nicholson-Smith’s report has been confirmed by multiple other national baseball writers.

That means Chicago Cubs fans still have hope that Ohtani will be winning MVPs on the Northside.

This pursuit of Ohtani has been one big contradiction.

The problem with the conflicting reports has been the secrecy Ohtani has demanded during this process. It has been reported that a team will be unfavorably viewed if it leaks any information regarding its attempt to sign Ohtani.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was scolded by the front office when he revealed that the club had a meeting with Shohei.

Maybe this recent link to the Blue Jays will end up taking them out of the running. At least, that is what the Northside faithful is hoping for.

Ohtani might love the idea of going to Toronto so much that he is willing to overlook this recent report having him going to the Blue Jays.

There is one problem with all these reports coming out today.

None of them have any possibility of Ohtani going to the Cubs. Well, maybe more like the Cubs are not among the frontrunners.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Cubs are one of the teams being considered, but it is coming down to the Dodgers and the Blue Jays.

We have reports that Shohei has met with the Dodgers and the Blue Jays. Otherwise, he has not met with any other clubs. Maybe that is because the Chicago Cubs are respecting Ohtani’s wishes for privacy.

You have to like the club’s chances of signing Ohtani if they can get an audience (if they have not had one already). His fellow countryman, Yu Darvish loved playing in Chicago. Seiya Suzuki is enjoying his time at Wrigley. The Cubs have a deep farm system to add more talent through trades. They are also flush with cash to add free agents.

Ohtani’s injury history might be a cause for a concern to commit over $500 million.

Shohei’s 2023 season ended prematurely after he tore the UCL in his pitching elbow. He did not need Tommy John surgery as he needed in 2018 but he had surgery to repair the injured ligament.

That is two major surgeries on his elbow so who knows if he will hold up for the life of a possible 10-year deal.

Ohtani will not pitch in 2024. He still should be healthy enough to be one of the game’s best hitters. He is still a box office draw, so giving him the richest free-agent contract ever will still have a high return on investment.

The hope is the Cubs still have a chance to sign him to that contract.