Cubs Still in On Shohei Ohtani Sweepstakes, 3 Teams Out

The Chicago Cubs are reportedly one of four teams that remain in the bidding for superstar free agent Shohei Ohtani. Meanwhile, with the Winter Meetings set to begin in a few days, we are now hearing about some teams who are no longer in the Ohtani sweepstakes.

As is the case every offseason, there are so many random rumors that you’ll see online that it becomes difficult to get excited about anything that might look real. Well, if there’s one baseball reporter who is highly regarded, credible and trusted it’s ESPN’s Jeff Passan. He released his Winter Meetings preview on Friday morning and his latest Ohtani update did confirm some rumors that have been floating around.

So, who’s in and who’s out on Ohtani heading into the Winter Meetings?

Via ESPN.

Given that, it would be foolish to count out any high revenue team, though by now the field for Ohtani’s services has winnowed, sources said. The Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox and New York Mets, who were among the initial group of suitors, have turned their attention to other players, sources said. Among those confirmed by sources to be still in the bidding: the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays and Angels. The San Francisco Giants have long had a fondness for Ohtani, though where they stand in these sweepstakes is unknown.

Those are some major players now looking elsewhere in the Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers and New York Mets.

For a few weeks it’s appeared as though the Ohtani sweepstakes will come down to the Cubs and Dodgers, and that still seems like it’s the case, although those online rumors briefly made the Toronto Blue Jays as the second favorite to sign Ohtani on Thursday.

Nevertheless, it’s great to see Passan confirm that the Cubs remain in on the Ohtani bidding. As far as Ohtani’s potential contract goes, Passan’s sources say the two-way star will easily top Mike Trout’s $426.5 million deal and that Ohtani’s elbow surgery won’t hurt his value. One source believes Ohtani may sign for $600 million after all the bidding is done.

One last point on these Ohtani rumors. Again, there are rumors all over the place. Some are straight up fiction, but Michael Marino has been consistent on his reporting for a few years now and deserves your attention if you are interested in the rumor mill.

Marino reported two days ago what Passan wrote today regarding the teams still in the mix for Ohtani, while giving updates on teams who were out, the Rangers and Red Sox.

So, give him a follow.