More smoke on Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, and the Chicago Cubs

With another report from MLB expert Jon Heyman, the MLB expert writes more notes on what's happening in free agency and the trade market. Not surprisingly but encouraging, the Chicago Cubs are mentioned by name in the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes and trade partners with the Tampa Bay Rays regarding Tyler Glasnow.

Ohtani is, unfortunately, holding up the market at the moment, and it's expected that once he signs, the floodgates will certainly burst open. We're getting to the point where, hopefully, the Cubs figure out whether they are actual players in this thing. If so, great. If not, it's time to pivot to make sure you secure as many viable free agents/trades as possible. Although the top of the market stands still, several free agents in the next tier have already found homes for 2024 and beyond.

Most recently, Eduardo Rodriguez signed a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, taking another pitcher from that next tier out of free agency. With Jordan Montgomery favored to return to Texas, that next level of pitching outside of Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto begins to deteriorate. Therefore, if the Cubs wait around too long and miss out on Ohtani, they will find themselves in a position where they may have to overpay in prospect currency via trade.

With multiple connections to the Rays regarding Glasnow, the Los Angeles Dodgers are also mentioned to be in the running for Tampa's ace.

Hopefully, the Ohtani sweepstakes wrap up soon, and Chicago gets a couple of solid moves on the Cubs front. They have been connected to almost everybody available, and now it's time to bring a few of these players home and build out the roster for 2024.

The Latest Cubs News & Rumors: