Hoyer denies report Cubs are out on Ohtani
From the start of free agency, the overwhelming thought has been the market is going to stagnate until two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani signs what is expected to be the largest contract in MLB history.
That has been the case as more rumors made the rounds Tuesday at the winter meetings in Nashville. Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer did not care for one particular report, which came from USA Today.
According to Bob Nightengale, a source said the Cubs "balked" at Ohtani's $500 million-plus asking price over 10 years and are apparently out of the running for the 29-year-old designated hitter/starting pitcher.
Talking to reporters Tuesday, Hoyer denied the report.
"I don't know where that came from," he said. "There's nothing to report whatsoever."
Have the Cubs received any updates from Ohtani's representatives?
"None, zero," Hoyer said. "I'm not going to comment on it, but we haven't been given a status check."
New Cubs manager Craig Counsell was asked if he's talked to Ohtani. "I have not, no," he said.
Have the Cubs?
"I have not," Counsell said.
The Dodgers are viewed as a likely landing spot for Ohtani, who was the American League MVP last season and in 2021 while playing for the Angels. He finished second in MVP voting in 2022.
While Ohtani apparently wants to keep any and all talk about his status quiet, Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts did break some news Tuesday.
Roberts said the organization met with Ohtani at Dodger Stadium "a couple days go."
"Am I able to say that?" Roberts asked. "I think that, yeah, we met with him. I don't want to, I would like to be honest, so we met with Shohei and we talked and I think it went well. I think it went well.
"He's a special, special player. But at the end of the day he's his own man and he's going to do what's best for himself, where he feels most comfortable."
Ohtani has also reportedly met with the Blue Jays and Giants. New Angels manager Ron Washington was asked about the possibility of a return to Anaheim.
"I don't have anything to say about that right now because I don't want to let anything out the bag," Washington said.