Reality will set in on April 5 when Shohei Ohtani comes to Wrigley Field

One day after it seemed like Shohei Ohtani was headed to join the Toronto Blue Jays, he himself broke the news of a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Without much fanfare, the Ohtani sweepstakes drew to an unceremonious close - leaving the best path forward for a Cubs team in need of impact pieces unclear.

But if, once the 2024 regular season starts, you want to get a glimpse at the highest-paid made in professional sports and ponder what he may have looked like playing at Wrigley Field, you won't have to wait long: Ohtani's first road series as a member of the Dodgers comes against the Cubs from April 5-7.

Cubs miss out on the offseason's biggest prize in Shohei Ohtani

That series will mark Ohtani's first time playing at the Friendly Confines - and just his second series against the Cubs in his career. Through three games, he has a 1.065 OPS against Chicago and he'll likely serve as the Dodgers' DH that weekend, barring something unforeseen stopping that from happening between now and then.

The road to the top in the National League now undoubtedly goes through Chavez Ravine, where the Dodgers have stockpiled some of the game's best talent in Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman - all of whom have won MVP awards in their respective careers.

Meanwhile, the Cubs' margin for error seems more slim than ever with Juan Soto and Ohtani both off the board. Jed Hoyer seems to have two paths forward if he wants to markedly improve the team this winter: re-sign Cody Bellinger, who may very well pull in the $250-300 million he's looking for in the wake of this deal, or pull off a totally unexpected trade.