(670 The Score) The Cubs’ hopes to land two-way star Shohei Ohtani in free agency appear to be dwindling, unless the information that is and isn’t slowly trickling out of the Winter Meetings is subterfuge in favor of the club.
Ohtani continued to be the talk of the slow-moving Winter Meetings on Tuesday in Nashville, where Cubs manager Craig Counsell acknowledged that he hasn’t met with Ohtani in the free agency process. While that doesn’t mean the Cubs are out on Ohtani, it came in the aftermath of Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirming he and his club had met with Ohtani a few days prior and stating that Ohtani was his team’s “top priority.” Beyond that, multiple national reporters suggested earlier Tuesday that the Cubs' hopes to sign Ohtani were dwindling.
Counsell revealed essentially nothing about the Cubs’ pursuit of Ohtani outside of the fact that he hasn't personally met with him. At one point, Counsell was asked if him not meeting indicated anything about the Cubs' level of interest in Ohtani.
"I don't think this is my spot to talk about individual players," Counsell said. "It's a great question, but not the spot to talk about it."
Counsell did briefly speak generally about Ohtani.
“He’s very unique,” Counsell said. “So it’s really cool what’s happening (the free agency process). I think as a baseball fan, we all want to know where the great players are going to play.”
The Dodgers, Blue Jays and Angels remain in the mix to land Ohtani, according to reports. Most across the industry view the Dodgers as the favorite to sign him.
Ohtani, 29, has hit free agency after a season in which he won the American League MVP award for the second time in three years. He hit .304 with 44 homers, 95 RBIs and an MLB-best 1.066 OPS in 135 games for the Angeles in 2023, when he also posted a 3.14 ERA and 1.06 WHIP while striking out 167 batters in 132 innings across 23 starts.
Ohtani won’t pitch in 2024 after having elbow surgery in September, but he has been cleared to be a full-time hitter next season and is expected to return to the mound in 2025.