Article: Shohei Ohtani Will Not Be a Cub. That's Probably for the Best.

[LBiittner]

Correction not fake interest but rather fake information 

[JBears79]

I get the sentiment of this article and understand where its coming from but I would much rather have the best player in the world.

But unfortunately we didnt. 

[Maddux31]

Another great piece, Matt. This is the kind of nuanced deep dive that you will not often see, even from The Athletic, where there always seems to be a reluctance to attach names and possibilities to the Cubs needs other than the obvious ones. I’m tired of reading recycled stories that don’t offer anything new.

On the Ohtani front, it has been my firm belief all along that the risk/long-term implications outweighed the reward. But when you lay those things out, there will always be those seemingly uniformed people who respond by saying how anyone who dare suggest that there might be pros and cons to an Ohtani signing is an idiot because he is the “best player on earth,” without offering any kind of counterpoint beyond that.

[CubinNY]

10 hours ago, Maddux31 said:

Another great piece, Matt. This is the kind of nuanced deep dive that you will not often see, even from The Athletic, where there always seems to be a reluctance to attach names and possibilities to the Cubs needs other than the obvious ones. I’m tired of reading recycled stories that don’t offer anything new.

On the Ohtani front, it has been my firm belief all along that the risk/long-term implications outweighed the reward. But when you lay those things out, there will always be those seemingly uniformed people who respond by saying how anyone who dare suggest that there might be pros and cons to an Ohtani signing is an idiot because he is the “best player on earth,” without offering any kind of counterpoint beyond that.

lol, being the best player on earth is the counterpoint. Think of him this way. He’s a top 5 hitter in the league. Think of Harper. About $30M/year. At the same time, He’s a stop 5 pitcher. Think of Cole. About $36M/year. 
 

it’s a lot of money, but the Dodgers have signed the best pitcher and hitter on the market this year. 
 
Im ok as long as Jed gets the holes filled. I think Ohtani picked his team and then got them to give him what he wanted. 

[Billy62]

Yeah Matt, Pretty much in agreement here. Would Ohtani have looked good in a Cubs uniform......absolutely. But, at some point you have to do the math and examine the cost. $700 Million is a whopping bunch of coin to dole out for a single ballplayer. Does this put the Dodgers in the drivers seat for a WS ring? I don't think so. It definitely helps in that direction, but there are too many variables. But, the Dodgers have been doing enough smaller deals to make one believe that they will field a pretty formidable team in 2024. The Cubs now can concentrate on improving the ball club. Not emptying the cookie jar for Ohtani, lets them improve some other positions on the club. I would hope that this would help grease the wheels a bit for Bellinger's return. As well as adding a good starting pitcher or two, along with shoring up the bullpen. I am hoping that the Cub silence so far this winter is more because of a wait and see attitude, than just plain inaction. There are still plenty of names out there that can improve this club into contender status. I think not betting the ranch on Ohtani was a good move, now hopefully, the team can move forward and add a couple big fish into our tank.

[imb]

insane levels of copium

 

its fine that ohtani isnt a cub, but it's not "for the best," that's insane