Chicago Cubs are reported finalist for Shohei Ohtani

The latest report in the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes has the Chicago Cubs as a finalist to land the generational talent. Also on that list are the Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, and still the Los Angeles Angels. According to Jeff Passan (Subscription Required), the New York Mets, Texas Rangers, and Boston Red Sox have pulled out of the race to pursue other talent.

There is no surprise the Dodgers are still in the race, as they have stacks of money to spend always. The noise around the Blue Jays signing has recently gotten louder and louder and would certainly be an interesting twist to the AL East.

Surprisingly, the cleaning out of leadership in the Angels organization might actually be keeping them in the hunt, along with committing to hanging onto Mike Trout. But there still are the Cubs, ready and willing to give Ohtani the world.

Chicago Cubs are in full pursuit of Shohei Ohtani

There have been reports of numbers well over $500 million being offered by the Cubs to Ohtani. Longtime North Side fans scoff at this at the idea of ownership actually agreeing to something like this. Plus, there are other moves to be made to complete the roster. But Ohtani is not anything like the superstars of the past. He is a cheat code.

It’s worth remembering he will be limited to a DH role for at least the 2024 season. The jury is out on what will become of his pitching thereafter. But as a super-human as we have seen him be in this league, odds are it’s worth the gamble.