MLB Rumors: Are The Chicago Cubs The Favorite For Masahiro Tanaka?

Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

We’re set to come down to the wire in the Masahiro Tanaka sweepstakes, and while we’ve heard plenty of names in the mix, there doesn’t appear to be a clear favorite at this point for the Japanese hurler. Or is there? While the usual suspects, like the Los Angeles Dodgers, have been reported to be a top contender for his services, word around baseball at this point is that the Chicago Cubs might actually be the favorite for him.

We’ve heard that Tanaka would prefer to be on the West Coast, and one would assume that a contending team would be his club of choice. The Cubs do not present either of those. However, according to many around the league, the Cubs have been a team to keep an eye on, and with them having made an official offer to Tanaka, their status as a favorite to land the righty may have been cemented.

A couple of intriguing tweets from Bruce Levine out of Chicago:

The first one is not the first time we’ve heard that the Cubs are a team to be reckoned with in the Tanaka derby, while the second simply points out the fact that the Cubs have, indeed, submitted an offer for Tanaka. Levine’s set of Tanaka tweets throughout the day also featured one that mentioned the fact that Tanaka wants to land somewhere he can be “the man” and that he wants to be challenged. If that were to be the case, the Cubs would obviously present an ideal spot for him.

Whether or not the Cubs are actually to be considered a favorite for Masahiro Tanaka remains to be seen, of course. The Dodgers are a heavy favorite, as are the likes of the Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees. They all present a much more ideal spot for him to win, if that’s what he’s seeking. Nonetheless, Masahiro Tanaka landing in Chicago would do a lot for the Cubs, and from the sounds of things, it sounds like he’d like that type of challenge.