The Chicago Cubs weren’t able to land the services of Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani when he came to the United States for the 2018 season, but according to a new report, they could find themselves in the mix should he hit free agency.
USA Today baseball insider Bob Nightengale penned his weekly notebook piece on Sunday, and while all the usual suspects for Ohtani’s services are mentioned, including the Angels, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Seattle Mariners, Nightengale dropped this nugget into the story.
“Yet, the sleeper in the Ohtani free-agent frenzy, several baseball executives predict, are the Chicago Cubs,” he said. “They were the only team outside the AL West and NL West that were on Ohtani’s original list when he left Japan six years ago, and certainly, they have plenty of money stored up to pay Ohtani whatever he desires.”
An American League executive was quoted in the story as saying “I could easily see him going” to Chicago, further fueling the speculative fires.
Ohtani has had a decorated career with the Angels, winning Rookie of the Year honors in 2018 and capturing the MVP award in 2021. He also finished fourth in Cy Young voting in the 2022 season.
In 574 career MLB games, Ohtani has 129 home runs and 348 RBI’s. He hit 46 home runs and drove in 100 RBI’s while stealing 26 bases during the 2021 season, and followed that up with 34 home runs and 95 RBI’s last year.
He was able to do this while pitching 166 innings during the 2022 season, with a 15-9 record and a sparkling 2.33 ERA in 28 starts. He struck out 219 batters while walking just 44 in 166 innings of work, compiling a 1.012 WHIP.
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Needless to say, Ohtani could become arguably the most-coveted free agent in baseball history should he hit the open market later this year, with his one-year, $30 million contract reaching its conclusion.