Chicago Cubs Boss Disputes Negative Ohtani Reports as False

Well, the Chicago Cubs might still be in the running for Shohei Ohtani after all according to their executive.

Whenever the Hot Stove starts running rampant, it's hard to know what is real and what's a smokescreen laid out by competing teams and agents.

Earlier on Tuesday, there was a report that suggest the Chicago Cubs might now be out of the running to sign Shohei Ohtani.

That, of course, would be devastating news for the Cubs who are looking to make a massive splash this offseason and want to make sure they sign the best player in baseball after missing out on him when he first came to the MLB from Japan.

All signs indicate that the phenom is their No. 1 priority in free agency, knowing the boost he would give their roster and the franchise as a whole.

That's why the earlier news was a tough pill to swallow.

However, Chicago's president of baseball operations, Jed Hoyer, has strongly come out against that report, indicating that it was false and they're sill in the running to land Ohtani.

"I don’t know where that came from. There’s nothing to report whatsoever," he said according to Ryan Herrera of CHGO Sports.

Ok, that is good news.

Everything that was previously mentioned about Ohtani and his free agency process was that things would be kept very close to the vest and not many people would know which direction he was leaning.

It seemed strange that all of a sudden information was leaking out about an Ohtani decision that could be coming at some point during or after the Winter Meetings.

One thing is still a fact; the superstar remains a free agent and hasn't signed with a team yet.

The Cubs could still be in the mix.