Chicago Cubs

After missing out on Shohei Ohtani, the Toronto Blue Jays are "expected" to swing at outfielder Cody Bellinger, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman.

To win over the former NL MVP, however, the Blue Jays will need to beat out the team Bellinger spent 2023 with.

"The Cubs remain a threat to keep Bellinger, who's said to have liked his first year on the North Side very much," Heyman wrote.

The San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres are also reportedly interested in Bellinger, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

The outfielder slashed .307/.356/.525 for the Cubs in 2023 on his way to his second career NL Silver Slugger award.

The Blue Jays have been tied to a series of potential high-profile roster additions this offseason, including outfielder Juan Soto.

But now that Ohtani is ready to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Soto has ended up with the New York Yankees, Toronto's bids for star left-handed batters have yet to garner results so far.

"Now that they didn't get Ohtani, they didn't get Soto, they want a left-handed bat... I think Toronto will be in there for Bellinger," Heyman said Wednesday. "Those are the two most likely teams at this point."

MLB.com's Mike Petriello projects Bellinger receiving a five-to-eight year deal worth between $150 and $200 million "as arguably the best position player available" other than Ohtani.

The Blue Jays set a franchise record with a $213 million luxury tax payroll in 2023. The addition of a free agent like Bellinger would likely put them on track to set another record.

Toronto leadership may be ready to spend that much money in to break a disappointing postseason streak that saw the team swept in the Wild Card round three times in the past four seasons.

But if the Blue Jays decide that next step to win a Wild Card game means adding a hitter like Bellinger, it looks like they will have to beat out the Cubs first.

The Chicago Cubs appear to have been left in the dark when it comes to Shohei Ohtani's free agency.

Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer told reporters Tuesday that the franchise hasn't received any update from Ohtani's camp regarding if the club is still in contention to sign him this winter.

"I'm not going to comment on it but we haven't been given a status check," Hoyer said.

The Cubs have been linked to Ohtani throughout free agency, and he even considered Chicago before he agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Angels to come to the United States from Japan.

However, USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported Tuesday that a high-ranking executive said the "Cubs' optimism of landing Shohei Ohtani has now significantly waned." He added that the Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles and San Francisco Giants are the "likely finalists."

Nightengale also reported that the Cubs "balked" at Ohtani's asking price of 10 years and at least $500 million.

Ohtani has been known to prefer the west coast, but if Hoyer hasn't heard anything from the veteran's camp, it's reasonable to believe the Cubs may still be in the running for his services.

Losing out on Ohtani would be a huge miss for the Cubs, which are coming off one of their best seasons since 2020. They finished the 2023 campaign with an 83-79 record and just missed out on the playoffs.

Ohtani would significantly elevate a Cubs rotation that includes Kyle Hendricks, Justin Steele and Jameson Taillon. However, he won't be able to pitch until 2025 after undergoing elbow surgery in September.

The 29-year-old will still be able to bat next season, and that alone would be a huge boost for the Cubs.

Ohtani slashed .304/.412/.654 with 44 home runs, 95 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 2023. Those numbers are better than any player Chicago had on its roster last season.

Ohtani is considered the best player in baseball, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that he's in no rush to reach an agreement. This could be a long process, so baseball fans should buckle up.

The Chicago Cubs and free-agent first baseman Rhys Hoskins reportedly "remain in contact" as he explores the open market.

Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported the Cubs and Hoskins have discussed both one-year and multiyear proposals. The 30-year-old is attempting to come back from a torn ACL suffered during the 2023 season.

The Philadelphia Phillies moved on from Hoskins this offseason when they named Bryce Harper their full-time first baseman. Hoskins spent his first six MLB seasons in Philadelphia.

"We think the world of Rhys and Jayme (Hoskins' wife)," Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. "They are wonderful people who have done so much for the community. I don't want to 100% close any doors but I'd say that's the situation. He understood. If he's not back with us, we wish him nothing but the best."

A good power hitter with a propensity for drawing walks, Hoskins would have garnered significant free-agent buzz if he weren't coming off a significant injury. The one-year deals he's discussed with the Cubs are likely motivated by a desire to return to free agency next winter and cash in on a bounce-back year.

Hoskins slashed .246/.332/.462 with 30 home runs and 79 runs batted in during the 2022 season. He's expected to make a full recovery and be ready for spring training after starting to take batting practice in October. There was an outside shot Hoskins would have been ready to play if the Phillies made the 2023 World Series.

It's looking increasingly like Shohei Ohtani's next stop will not be Chicago.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported the Cubs "balked" at Ohtani's asking price of 10 years and at least $500 million. Per Nightengale, Chicago now appears to be out of the mix.

Of note, however, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that the Cubs have not been told they are out of the running:

Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said the team hasn't "been given a status check" from Ohtani's camp, and declined to comment further, per Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune.

Nightengale previously reported that the Cubs' optimism has "significantly waned" in recent days, with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Angels and San Francisco Giants emerging as finalists in the sweepstakes.

Ohtani, who will not be able to pitch during the 2024 season due to UCL surgery, is nevertheless set to break the North American record for guarantees in a professional sports contract.

Jeff Passan of ESPN reported Ohtani's deal could reach the $600 million mark and is expected to easily surpass $500 million.

It's noteworthy that Nightengale's final four teams included three from the state of California. Ohtani was known to prefer the West Coast when he initially came over from Japan, and it seems that preference has stuck. Toronto is the darkhorse in the race, but it's likely the Blue Jays would have to well outbid the Dodgers, Angels and Giants to have a serious shot.

The Cubs were initially considered a strong contender for Ohtani after he did consider the club during his initial negotiations to come stateside.

However, it appears they're once again being outbid and outmaneuvered by teams out west.

It was once considered a foregone conclusion that Ohtani would leave the Angels, so it's noteworthy they remain in the race. The Angels would give Ohtani a combination of comfort in his recovery, money and autonomy given his star power. His rationale for staying would likely be the same as Mike Trout's; it's hard to find a better location with less pressure.

Going to the Dodgers, who have been considered the favorites, would ratchet up the pressure on Ohtani a significant amount while he lives in the same area of the country. If championships are his ultimate goal, then the Dodgers may be his best choice. If it's comfort, then the Angels may still have a shot.

Andre Dawson has requested the Baseball Hall of Fame change his hat from the Montreal Expos to that of the Chicago Cubs.

"I just felt my preference all along was as a Cub, despite playing (11) years in Montreal," he said to the Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan. "I had my reasons, and I think that should've been something we sat down and discussed."

According to Sullivan, Dawson wrote a letter to the chairperson of the Hall of Fame's board of directors and the Hall of Fame committee about altering his plaque.

In a 2009 interview, then-Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson explained to ESPN's Paul Lukas the process behind selecting which hat accompanies an inductee.

"From our standpoint, the logo isn't something we want to be controversial, because the last thing you want is to have a divisive factor when someone's being celebrated with baseball's greatest honor," Idelson said.

"And for any player who played for multiple teams, the fans in each of those cities should claim that player to be their own. Because without that player's time with that team, he arguably would not have been a Hall of Famer. But we try to decide where the player made his most indelible mark."

That leaves a lot of room for interpretation.

Dawson spent 11 years with the Expos, nearly double that of his Cubs tenure. While in Montreal, he was the 1977 National League Rookie of the Year, a three-time All-Star, six-time Gold Glove winner, and an MVP runner-up in 1981 and 1983.

Dawson's best years came in an Expos uniform. However, he won his lone MVP while with the Cubs in 1987, and he was an All-Star five times while playing in the Windy City. There are probably a lot of fans outside of Chicago who first identify Dawson with the Cubs.

It doesn't help that the Expos no longer exist.

"If they are contracted, why would I want to have an association with a defunct team?" legendary catcher Gary Carter said in 2001. "So people can walk through the Hall of Fame in the future and ask, 'Who are the Montreal Expos?'"

Carter was immortalized as an Expo anyway.

This isn't the first time Dawson has publicized his dissatisfaction with the Hall of Fame's decision. He said in 2010 it "was a little gut-wrenching for me to hear that" in reference to the Hall picking Montreal over Chicago.

The 69-year-old acknowledged to Sullivan his latest plea could prove futile.

"I don't expect them to jump on something like this," he told me Monday in a phone conversation. "If they elect to respond, they'll take their time. And it wouldn't surprise me if they don't respond."