A dark horse team is making a run at this winter’s prized MLB free agent.
The Chicago Cubs are right in the mix to win the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes, according to oddsmakers at DraftKings Sportsbook.
The Loveable Losers currently have the second-best odds to sign the two-way Japanese superstar who just won his second AL MVP.
After opening at +1500, the ninth-best odds on the board, the Cubs are now sitting at +350.
Shohei Ohtani next team odds
| Team | Futures Odds |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | +110 |
| Chicago Cubs | +350 |
| San Francisco Giants | +650 |
| New York Mets | +800 |
| New York Yankees | +800 |
| Texas Rangers | +900 |
| Boston Red Sox | +1000 |
| Seattle Mariners | +1200 |
| Los Angeles Angels | +1600 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | +1800 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | +2000 |
| San Diego Padres | +2000 |
| The Field | +2000 |
The Cubs sit behind the Los Angeles Dodgers, who remain the favorite to bring in Ohtani at +110, which is slightly worse odds than they had last week (-110).
The Giants, Mets and Yankees, who round out the top five, all took a slight step back in terms of their Ohtani chances.
The Boston Red Sox were the only team other than the Cubs to move up the board over the last week, going from +1300 to +1000 and leapfrogging the Seattle Mariners.
Learn all you need to know about MLB Betting
- Read about the Best Baseball Betting Sites
- Learn all about How to Bet on Baseball
- Get the latest World Series Odds
It appears that the Los Angeles Angels’ chances at retaining Ohtani dropped a bit after naming Ron Washington as the team’s next manager, going from +1500 to +1600 odds.
Ohtani is expected to sign what could be the largest contract in baseball, if not all of professional sports history.
The Post’s Jon Heyman reported last month that Ohtani could garner as much as $600 million in free agency.
Teams in the Ohtani sweepstakes have been informed that leaks will hurt their cause.