Would Chicago Cubs Benefit from Ohtani Trade Deadline Derby?

The Chicago Cubs were recently linked to Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani when it comes to free agency this offseason.

But what about a trade scenario?

As the Cubs prepare to play the Angels this week, Ohtani is ever-present in the matchup, whether he’s pitching or hitting.

But the Angels are also mulling their own short-term future with Ohtani.

The Athletic cited a quote from Angels owner Arte Moreno earlier this season in which he said that the Angels were not interested in trading Ohtani at the deadline.

But Moreno’s quote came with a caveat.

“We will not trade Ohtani while we are contending for a playoff spot.” Moreno said.

The Angels enter Tuesday’s game with the Cubs one game over .500 and nine games behind the Rangers in the American League West. But, the Angels were five games out of the last Wild Card spot.

It’s entirely possible the Angels can bounce back and make the AL West race more competitive.

Besides a four-game series with the Texas Rangers next week and a two-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers the week after, the rest of the month features teams that are under-.500 (the Angels start a series with the NL West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks on the final day of the month).

It gives the Angels a potentially favorable path to cut into the gap between them and the front-runners.

But what if the Angels can’t, or worse take a downturn? They may have a decision to make come late July.

How would that impact the Cubs? It’s unlikely the Cubs try and make a trade for a two-month rental. First, the Cubs are under.-500 and have work ahead to change that. Plus, the farm system doesn’t have the pieces needed to swing that kind of deal.

Also, would a deadline deal potentially take a free-agent suitor out of the running? Yes, a free-agent deal is about money and not dealing players. But if a contender pushed all of its chips to the table for two months of Ohtani while depleting its organizational depth, it might find itself in a more desperate position come the offseason.

Would that help the Cubs? It’s hard to say.

But they will get a first-hand look at what they could pursue this offseason starting Tuesday.

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