Angels News: Cubs Outfielder Pushing Shohei Ohtani to Sign With His Club

The tampering has begun.

Shohei Ohtani may not be a free agent for another nine months, but the courting of the two-way superstar has already begun. While there hasn't exactly been tampering going on, it's been very clear which teams are clearing room to give Ohtani a blank check next offseason.

One player who's going to get a little extra one-on-one time with Ohtani ahead of Opening Day is Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki. Ohtani and Suzuki are playing together for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic, and Jorge Castillo of the LA Times asked him if he'd do any recruiting ahead of free agency. Suzuki said he's already "invited him" to join the team next year.

Asked Seiya Suzuki if he'll recruit Shohei Ohtani at the WBC to sign with the Cubs. He said he's "invited him" to join the team.

— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) February 21, 2023

The Cubs are one of the teams that have been linked to Ohtani this offseason as a potential landing spot next year. They've pretty much completely overhauled their 2016 World Series roster, but they had a pretty decent offseason, and are ready to spend big on a true superstar.

The Cubs don't feel like a true favorite for Ohtani yet, but maybe Suzuki will be able to put some work in at the WBC to convince him on the Chicago lifestyle. But for now, it's hard to consider them a serious threat, especially over some of the other big-spending contenders.