3 moves the Chicago Cubs have to make after Shohei Ohtani signs with Dodgers

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Now that we have confirmation that the Chicago Cubs won't have a $600MM expenditure this off-season, the team will need to begin their moves in earnest.

The Cubs' primary off-season target this off-season was Shohei Ohtani. Up until last week, the Cubs were believed to be one of the finalists for Ohtani. As the Winter Meetings dragged on this week with little action, it had become clear by the end that the Cubs were falling behind in their pursuit of Ohtani. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays emerged as the favorites for Ohtani by the end of the Winter Meetings.

On Saturday, Ohtani agreed to the largest deal in the history of Major League Baseball as he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Now that Ohtani has officially agreed to a deal, we likely will see a flurry of activity within the next week.

The market was held up as Ohtani made his decision with the likes of the Cubs, Blue Jays, and San Francisco Giants involved in the bidding. Now that each of those three teams has missed on their primary target, there will be a pivot to the top remaining free agents available such as Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Cody Bellinger.

The Cubs will need to act quickly if they are to have a successful plan. It's likely that the Cubs' front office had a contingency plan in place in the event that they missed on Ohtani. Now that they know Ohtani will not be calling Wrigley Fields, the team must make these three moves.

The Chicago Cubs need to sign Cody Bellinger to a long-term deal

The off-season appears to be trending toward the exact scenario that was speculated to be needed if the Cubs were going to bring back Bellinger on a long-term deal. The New York Yankees made their blockbuster move in acquiring Juan Soto.

Entering the off-season, the Yankees were believed to be the biggest threat to the Cubs for Bellinger. With Soto and Alex Verdugo now added to their outfield mix this off-season, it would seem unlikely that the Yankees would remain in the bidding for Bellinger.

The Cubs, meanwhile, now having missed on a trade for Soto and unable to sign Ohtani, are left without a clear path to their big addition for the off-season. Rhys Hoskins can not be the biggest signing that the Cubs make this winter.

Bringing Bellinger back on a long-term deal would give the Cubs stability in the middle of their lineup while also sending a good message to the clubhouse given the impact the 2023 National League Comeback Player of the Year had on the team last season.

The Chicago Cubs need to trade for Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow

The Chicago Cubs still have a need at the top of their starting rotation. Lost in the fact that the Cubs have a need for an impact bat in the middle of their lineup is the fact that Marcus Stroman opted out of his contract with the Cubs.

While Justin Steele emerged as a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher with the Cubs last season, the team can enter 2024 with the hope that Jameson Taillon's second half of the 2023 season will be reflective of the pitcher he will be moving forward.

Hayden Wesneski's regression in 2023 should also serve as a caution for the expectation that Jordan Wicks will be able to remain in the starting rotation for the duration of the 2024 season.

With Ben Brown and Cade Horton having yet to reach the Major League level, the Cubs need an ace at the top of their rotation. Glasnow is that ace and his swing-and-miss arsenal of pitches aligns perfectly with what the Cubs' rotation lacks.

The Chicago Cubs need to finalize a free-agent deal with first baseman Rhys Hoskins

If there were any legitimate takeaways from the Winter Meetings for the Chicago Cubs, it was that Rhys Hoskins will likely be the team's first baseman in 2024.

The Cubs have reportedly discussed multiple contract structures with Hoskins. Likely, the reason why the Cubs have not pulled the trigger on signing Hoskins is that they were needing confirmation on whether or not they spending $600MM on Ohtani.

The Cubs have failed to address the first base position since they traded Anthony Rizzo to the New York Yankees in 2021. Hoskins would be an answer for the position while also having 30-home run potential. For a team that struggled to hit the ball over the fence last season, Hoskins would be a much-needed addition.

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