Angels' Shohei Ohtani Invited to Join Cubs by Seiya Suzuki Ahead of 2023 Free Agency

Every single team in baseball has Shohei Ohtani on their wishlist, and for most teams around the league, that wish is unlikely to be granted.

Luckily for the Chicago Cubs, they have a great recruiter in their clubhouse in Seiya Suzuki who has already started putting in the work to try and convince his fellow countryman to join him at Wrigley Field.

According to a report by Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times, when Suzuki was asked whether he'd try and lure Ohtani to Chicago during the World Baseball Classic, the 28-year-old said he's already "invited" him to join the team.

Suzuki and Ohtani are set to be teammates for Japan during the WBC, he'll have plenty of time to try and convince the Angels' star to come to the Cubs.

Ohtani, 28, has been one of the most dominant players in MLB since signing with the league in 2017 both as a pitcher and hitter. The 2021 AL MVP has a 2.96 ERA on the mound and has batted .267/.354/.532 with 127 homers with Los Angeles.

He is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2024, according to Spotrac, and will have no shortage of suitors for his signature. Agents have estimated that his new contract can be worth around 10-year, $430 million.

Suzuki, meanwhile, just wrapped up his first season in the big leagues with the Cubs after signing with the organization in March 2022. He spent the first portion of his career with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Nippon Professional Baseball.

During the 2022 season Suzuki batted .262/.336/.433 with 14 homers and 95 RBIs.