Shohei Ohtani Signs with Los Angeles Dodgers: What's Next for Cubs on MLB Hot Stove?

The Dodgers are a threat for a deep postseason run every year, and Ohtani makes them an obvious favorite to come out of the National League for years to come. The two-way Japanese superstar can’t pitch in 2024 while he recovers from Tommy John surgery, but he'll still be able to hit and potentially pass 40 home runs for the third time in his career.

What Does This Mean for the Cubs?

For obvious reasons, Shohei Ohtani has held up the entire offseason market for multiple teams. Teams in on Ohtani previously weren't willing to shell out a ton of cash to other players as MLB's Winter Meetings came and went. Many teams will now implement their backup plans for the offseason.

The Chicago Cubs are in this camp. While Ohtani was always the biggest and inarguably the best option on the open market, there are several routes the Cubs can take to ensure a successful offseason.

Cody Bellinger is still a candidate to return to the North Side. Additionally, hot stove rumors have linked Rhys Hoskins and Matt Chapman to the Cubs. Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins could also dabble in the trade market, where Tyler Glasnow and Shane Bieber have been mentioned as Cubs targets. The window for a successful offseason might’ve shrunk just a bit, but no one knows how many players can be had via trade.

While Ohtani secured his bad and now should also play on a team with a chance to win, $700 million was a very steep price to pay. For a team that preaches intelligent spending, the Cubs were likely never all that close in cost, and it's hard to blame them. The easiest way to let small-market teams gain ground competitively is by overpaying superstars and those players then not panning out year after year.

Who’s to say Ohtani won’t pan out? I won’t be foolish enough to predict that, but this is a situation where I’m “okay” that the Cubs didn’t overdo it.

Now that the biggest fish of the offseason has been reeled in, it will be interesting to see how the Cubs and the rest of the league navigate the offseason. One thing is certain: the hot stove just got a hell of a lot warmer.