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There has been a sense among Chicago Cubs fans that if the team is successful in their recruitment of Shohei Ohtani this off-season, the team will make no further moves considering their money will be tied up in Ohtani.
Given the creative ways that Major League Baseball teams can structure contracts, it is a misguided belief to think the Cubs would do nothing else the rest of the off-season if they sign Ohtani.
There would be creative deals to be had in a world where the Cubs sign Ohtani to the largest contract in franchise history and one of those ways would be through signing a power-hitting first baseman that likely is looking for a pillow contract.
We've heard already that the Cubs are keeping tabs on Rhys Hoskins and they were once again connected to the former Philadelphia Phillies first baseman when Russ Dorsey of Bally Sports was talking about potential fits for the slugger.
As we wait for the off-season dominoes to fall during the off-season, we had a little MLB Matchmaker talk on @TheRally this weekend.
— Tricia Whitaker (@TriciaWhitaker) November 20, 2023
Topics of convo with @Russ_Dorsey1:
✔️Juan Soto
✔️Tyler Glasnow
✔️Tim Anderson
✔️Rhys Hoskins
🤔 pic.twitter.com/9EBEWVR2Y9
When healthy, Hoskins is a threat to hit 30 home runs and he has registered a wRC+ of at least 120 in each of his last three seasons. Hoskins missed the entire 2023 season recovering from an ACL tear but there was an expectation that he would have been activated for the World Series had the Phillies made the fall classic.
There is also a need to emphasize that Hoskins should not be viewed as the Cubs' answer for their need for an offensive upgrade. There is not a scenario this off-season where the Cubs can be viewed as having a successful winter if Hoskins is the big move that they make. Having said that, if they have money tied up to a star such as Ohtani or San Diego Padres outfielder Juan Soto, Hoskins as a secondary add would be a great pickup.