Shohei Ohtani News: Sleeper Team Emerges as Free Agent Landing Spot for Angels Superstar

A blast to the past for Ohtani with this team.

Knock on wood but the Los Angeles Angels are off to a pretty ideal start and are currently in playoff contention. Nobody takes the first ten games as a definite outlook to how the rest of the season will play out, especially thanks to LA's fluke start in 2022, but there's been many bright spots in Anaheim thus far.

Some games have definitely still seen Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani carry the load of the offense like the past but a well-rounded roster has gone a long way in the others. Taylor Ward, Logan O'Hoppe, and Hunter Renfroe are just a few names that have helped lead to squad to wins and give the franchise a better chance at holding on to Ohtani.

He is set to hit free agency this summer but every contender is waiting to see if the Angels start dropping a good amount of games so they can trade for him before then. The San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Mets all possess the funds to bring him and have been slated as the favorites to land him should he become available.

However, the USA Today's Bob Nightengale has reported that a new team is emerging as a dark horse to sign the 28-year-old that nobody is mentioning thus far.

Stacking up the hardware 🏆

Tonight, Shohei Ohtani was recognized during his 2022 All-MLB Team and Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award Ceremony. pic.twitter.com/QRjmbaBQQx

— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) April 9, 2023

"Yet, the sleeper in the Ohtani free-agent frenzy, several baseball executives predict, are the Chicago Cubs. They were the only team outside the AL West and NL West that were on Ohtani’s original list when he left Japan six years ago, and certainly, they have plenty of money stored up to pay Ohtani whatever he desires."

(Via USA Today)

 It would shock the entire MLB world if Ohtani ends up in a Chicago Cubs uniform. However, the trade deadline and free agency period are two of the craziest times in baseball and plot twists happen all the time. The Angels could very well send their superstar to Chicago to avoid him going their city rivals.