For the Chicago Cubs, Shohei Ohtani proved to be a swing-and-miss player. Pitcher Tyler Glasnow wound up in Los Angeles with Ohtani and the Dodgers, if that piqued their curiosity.
What happens next?
Several teams, including the Cubs, were highlighted by MLB.com on Friday as needing to make a “splash” move in free agency, particularly in light of the fact that Ohtani, the biggest free-agent target, is no longer available.
The Cubs’ interest in Ohtani was deemed “legitimate” by MLB.com, and now that he’s signed, they must find a replacement. Accounting for what it has lost or what else it might lose off its own roster is a part of that:
The Cubs, who just finished in second place in the division and were eliminated from the Wild Card race in the final week of the season, would seem to be in a strong position to compete if the NL Central race is as open as it seems. That is, if their talent base doesn’t decline too much.
So far, the Cubs’ free-agent adventures have included minor-league contracts for Ivan Cespedes, pitchers Edwin Escobar, Alberto Chala, and Ethan Roberts, and catcher Edwin Escobar.
The good news for the Cubs is that, at least for the time being, they have lots of options if they want to make a big impression.
Reaching? Well, they could sign Cody Bellinger again, which would be the quickest route. But the Cubs’ main rival seems to be the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Cubs could easily sign Matt Champan away from the Blue Jays and secure third base in Candelario’s stead if they are unable to bring Bellinger back.
Putting out a pitch first? The Cubs possess the necessary resources to sign one of the two elite free agents available, Yoshinobu Yamamoto or Shōta Imanaga. Moreover, a trade could occur. Maybe the guy from next town, Dylan Cease, or the former Cy Young winner from Cleveland, Shane Bieber.
