Chicago Cubs' Free Agency Plans Affected By Shohei Ohtani Injury
Bombshell news dropped on Wednesday night. After leaving the first game of a doubleheader with "arm fatigue," it was revealed Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani has a torn UCLof the season.
It's a devasting blow to the Angels organization who decided to hold onto the best player in baseball instead of dealing him at the trade deadline so they could make a playoff push. They not only kept Ohtani, they made trades to put better pieces around him for the second half of the season.
The Chicago Cubs are also impacted by this injury.
It's no secret that the Cubs would love to sign the Japanese phenom to a contract this offseason. Not only is he an incredible hitter, but he also pitches at a Cy Young level as well.
However, one of those aspects of his game could be taken away with the news of his UCL injury, It's the second time that he's torn the UCL in his throwing elbow. The first was in 2018, which required him to get surgery.
Ohtani is getting second opinions on if he needs surgery to repair his elbow ligament this time. If he does, he would not be on the field until 2025.
Right fielder for Chicago, Seiya Suzuki, has known Ohtani from Japanese baseball and has been actively recruiting him to sign with the Cubs in free agency.
If it's determined he needs to miss the entire 2024 season, it's possible that Chicago would potentially cool down on their interest. They would have to pay a huge price to land the best player in baseball and would miss out on one of his prime years.
All signs point to there still being interest, but that determination for sure likely comes after heating the doctor's second opinion.
