MLB trade rumors: Cubs interested in Yu Darvish

When Yu Darvish came to MLB, the Cubs were reportedly interested, but got outbid by the Rangers.

Five-plus years later, the Cubs are reportedly again interested in the righthander:

The Cubs have inquired to the Rangers on the availability of ace Yu Darvish, according to sources, and a trade match between the teams is more plausible than it would've been entering the All-Star break.

Jon Morosi's article also indicates this deal might be more plausible if the Rangers also included Jonathan Lucroy, as the Cubs are supposedly in the market for a backup catcher.

The question, obviously, is whether the Cubs woukd have enough prospects remaining to satisfy the Rangers desires, especially after the Jose Quintana trade.

Darvish and Lucroy are both free agents at the end of 2017, so a deal like this is a short term fix only. I suppose it's possible the Cubs could try to keep Darvish past this year, and they will need starting pitching beyond 2017 with Jake Arrieta and John Lackey likely gone as free agents.

Anyway, have at ir.