I am finding this particular watch a little more challenging than most, not because of the lack of information – although it’s definitely SUPER stealthy – but instead because of my tendency to joke around.
To be honest, I like to sometimes run up perilously close to an idea that I might actually believe or that might actually be true, but spin it into a joke so that I can have my cake and eat it, too. I don’t think I’m alone in that, and I have to believe over the years that it has often been enjoyable for folks in my life. But in this particular free agent watch, when I so badly want to make ALL KINDS of jokes about secret meetings and top teams and what-have-you, I keep finding that I get close to that line and realize a lot of folks can’t quite tell where the truth ends and the joke starts.
And given the seriousness of this particular pursuit, far and away above any other free agent the Cubs have ever considered, I don’t want to inadvertently mislead anyone, or, God forbid, accidentally start a rumor that catches wildfire and becomes a potential problem for the actual process. That whole “Shohei’s reps may hold leaks against teams” thing got me a little spooked!
So anyway, I keep typing and deleting joking-type-stuff, which makes me feel like I’m not quite being myself when writing about Ohtani, despite wanting to touch on every little nugget I possibly can.
More from the Obsessive Watch …
Speaking of being very cautious with how I say and share things, let me start with something that was, on its face, extremely major:
In a normal world, a report that sources believe the competition for Top Free Agent X would come down to just the Cubs and one other team would send me sprinting to discuss. But, for reasons adjacent to everything in the intro, and because this process is necessarily being kept SO SECRET, I was very hesitant to stand on a rooftop and shout that it was down to the Cubs and Dodgers for Shohei Ohtani. I worry that it would be very, very hard to know that right now – even if you were involved in the process – and I think it would really sting if we let ourselves believe it was a 50/50 shot right now.
Don’t get me wrong, that might be the reality! But I just want to be extra, extra cautious – as I have been from the start – on buying in to specific teams in a specific place in the pecking order outside of the Dodgers, because we do have six odd months of hearing nothing but the Dodgers obviously being the default landing spot. I also can’t help but keep remembering that the Dodgers seemingly structured their ENTIRE OFFSEASON last year around the idea that they wanted to max out to ensure they got Ohtani. So even if the report is correct that it’s down to the Cubs and Dodgers, well, that doesn’t mean it’s 50/50.
If I am being too negative, it’s probably because a lot of this is guarding my own heart. I’ve wanted Shohei Ohtani on the Cubs for years now, anticipating this very offseason. And when it became clear – this is the good news part – that the Cubs were very, very serious in actually trying to make this happen, that’s when I had to kinda steel myself against deep disappointment. I hope the Cubs get him. I will lose my freaking mind if they do. But it’s a secret, secret process, and I just don’t know how much we actually know.
Ken Rosenthal writes at length about the challenge teams face in valuing Ohtani when they don’t know how successful he will be as a pitcher when he returns to the dual role in 2025 thanks to the second Tommy John surgery, and for how long he’ll want to keep doing both.
Speaking of Ohtani’s value, Levine also mentioned that Ohtani’s worth in added revenue could be up to $100 million(!). Now, that might not last every year in the future, which is part of the risk calculus, but if he was worth that much in Anaheim, couldn’t he be worth even more to a team like the Chicago Cubs? Note, though, that other reports have that figure closer to $30 million, at least in Anaheim. (I imagine it’s one of those things where it’s hard to calculate, because you can fudge a lot of what’s included in the pot.)
Reel him in, Fergie (this is a Cubs tweet, not a Rangers tweet, right?):
Speaking of reeling him in, clearly these two are best friends forever and want nothing more than to play together in 2024:
Here’s an example of the kind of thing I want to joke around about, but also kinda be serious about:
Pretty good placement for a big Ohtani spread if you were expecting visitors in from O’Hare, eh?!?!?!? In all seriousness, there are a lot of folks saying that it could just be part of New Balance’s post-MVP campaign for Ohtani, and there was absolutely zero under-the-table pushing from the Cubs to get that extremely convenient placement. Also: not all that secret!
On the flip side of that, if Shohei Ohtani is someone who deeply values his privacy:
Number two right there is what I’m referencing, and I would think it’s a pretty nice selling point for the Cubs. The ability to be in and around Wrigleyville outside of game hours and really not have folks bug you must be nice. From every story I’ve ever heard about Cubs players living their everyday lives in the area (whether they actually live close buy, or are just in the area), folks just let them be, outside of maybe a subtle, “Go Cubs” or “you are awesome.” I mean, Ben Zobrist used to ride his bike a mile to Wrigley Field through the neighborhood (just on his way to work!). Heck, he rode his bike to Wrigley in FULL UNIFORM IN SEPTEMBER OF 2016 and he got there just fine (so fine that he did that same bit of fun again the next two Septembers).
NEWSLETTER
