Chicago Cubs Rumors: Team reportedly among finalists for Shohei Ohtani

Based on reports, the Chicago Cubs appear to be among the finalists vying for the services of two-way Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani.

In the last 24 hours, the Hot Stove went from ice-cold to white-hot. After two teams finalized bids for Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton, the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes took a big step forward. And – at least so far – the Chicago Cubs remain in the hunt.

The story opened with Ohtani eliminating a team most thought would be a finalist in the New York Yankees. With a history working with Japanese talent with guys like Hideki Matsui and Masahiro Tanaka, it’s surprising to see them eliminated right off the bat. That being said, a new favorite emerged in the hours that followed.

According to Bob Nightengale, the Seattle Mariners are now the “clear-cut” frontrunners for Ohtani. The M’s have been my personal pick from the beginning. They fit the west coast preference, have a solid core of talent and are a mid-to-small market club, which is reportedly what the 23-year-old is looking for.

Based on multiple reports, this is where things stand. The Cubs represent the only non-west coast club left in the running. They join the likes of Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego and both Los Angeles clubs left in the hunt.

National League team-heavy field

Bleacher Nation broke it all down with a collection of solid tweets on the matter here. The most surprising part for me personally? There are a lot of National League teams among the finalists. Obviously, it would make sense for an AL team to have Ohtani DH on non-pitching days, but it appears that’s not necessarily his preferred course of action.

Marc Topkins dropped this a little later on regarding the Rays and Rangers – two more teams that are yet to be eliminated in the race:

UPDATE: Literally as soon as we published this, Ohtani eliminated Tampa Bay. Texas is also reportedly out on the Japanese outfielder/pitcher.

Adding Ohtani would be remarkable for the Cubs. He’s controllable cost-wise in the next few years and could fit a big need in the rotation. There’s no one more creative in the dugout than Joe Maddon and I don’t trust anyone more than Theo Epstein to lay out his vision for the future.

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There’s no doubt this will continue to shift. By Monday morning, this list will undoubtedly narrow further. For now, though, there’s hope. And at this point, I’ll take it.