Cubs’ Reason for Passing on Shohei Ohtani Revealed

Just a couple of seasons back, the Chicago Cubs were poised to pursue two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani with serious intent. That pursuit, however, never materialized.

Baseball fans everywhere remain mesmerized by Ohtani’s performances for the Los Angeles Dodgers as the team looks to win the 2025 World Series.

Of course, the sport’s followers have been enthralled by him since his Major League Baseball arrival in 2018. From there, he has secured three MVP honors—with a fourth all but guaranteed thanks to his dominant 2025 campaign—and claimed a championship ring with the Dodgers in 2024.

His dual-threat excellence as an elite batter and ace starter explains this widespread fascination.

Arguments abound that Ohtani has already cemented his status as the greatest player in baseball history. Even those hesitant to go that far must concede he’s well on his way to earning the GOAT title. With his 10-year, $700 million pact inked with the Dodgers in December 2023, the odds favor him concluding his illustrious run in L.A.

The innovative structure of Ohtani’s Dodgers agreement stands out: for the initial decade, he pockets just $2 million annually from the $70 million owed each year. The remaining $68 million per season gets pushed back, disbursed between 2034 and 2043.This groundbreaking approach shook up the industry and has since become a tool the Dodgers employ for top-tier talents.

As detailed in a recent column from Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Cubs’ executive team refused to entertain such deferrals, effectively dooming their bid for Ohtani during his free agency two winters ago.

Heyman also shared that the Cubs “have no known excuse” for rejecting the contract structure, calling the decision something that “made no sense.” It is important to note that the contract structure Ohtani received was not a normal line of negotiating.

Chicago’s decision-makers could be regretting that call today. On the flip side, even if they’d agreed to defer payments, the Cubs probably wouldn’t have edged out the Dodgers as Ohtani’s destination. Thus, the team’s supporters shouldn’t view this misstep as the sole barrier to seeing him slug homers and hurl strikes at Wrigley Field for years to come.