Chicago Cubs: Would landing Shohei Ohtani stop pursuit of Bryce Harper?

An interesting situation unfolding before our eyes

Shohei Ohtani’s situation is a bit odd, but it doesn’t mean he isn’t going to get paid, at least soon. This season, he would have to sign a minor-league deal. But that doesn’t mean he couldn’t sign an extension, as long as it wasn’t discussed previously.

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Tim Dierkes laid it out pretty well over at MLBTR. So Ohtani might have passed on the big money by not waiting until he was a true free agent. But he would have needed to have an exceptional run in the NPB to be the equivalent to what he could do in the majors over the next two seasons.

Quick extension

So, assuming the Cubs land him, they could sign him to an extension in the next few months. As long as it doesn’t set off any bells with the MLB and the CBA, he could be in line for roughly $20-25 million in the spring.

So you’ll have Jason Heyward‘s deal as well as Jon Lester‘s contract. Then add this one to the bunch – with likely more to come if Ohtani turns out to be everything we hope – and the Cubs would have a lot of money tied up. And contrary to what some fans think, the Cubs have money. But not an unlimited amount of it. And in 2020 or so, they’ll need to start making decisions on what to do with all the young talent on the team.