Chicago Cubs have other focuses outside of Shohei Ohtani

The Chicago Cubs and six other teams are locked in on Shohei Ohtani. That being said, all these clubs have other needs heading into the Winter Meetings.

With the Chicago Cubs still in the hunt for Shohei Ohtani, everyone is on-edge. I’ve refreshed Twitter more times in the last four days than I have in weeks and, still, we know absolutely nothing.

We know this all has to come to a head before the December 22 deadline. It seems like we’ll know how this plays out long before then, though. The Winter Meetings kick off next week and, according to reports, Chicago has other irons in the fire aside from Ohtani.

That’s hardly a surprise, though. The club lost Jake Arrieta and John Lackey to free agency at season’s end. The ninth inning remains a question with the loss of Wade Davis. The coaching staff was flipped upside down and the staff, as a whole, needs some new blood.

After designating former closer Hector Rondon for assignment, there’s room for said additions. Outside of the staff, some role pieces could be integral, as well. Let’s get into what this team needs outside of landing the 23-year-old Japanese superstar.