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We know one thing for certain: The Cubs will either have Yu Darvish in their starting rotation in 2018, or they won’t.
Profound, I know. And irrefutable!
Here is some news for Yu that has happened since the last edition of the Daily Darvish.
#Phillies checking in with Darvish and most of high-profile free agents, sources tell The Athletic. Idea is to assess respective markets to see if deal makes sense. Unlikely Phils would be high bidder, but if player fell into their range - preferably short-term - they might jump.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 24, 2018
Sounds like due diligence on the Phillies’ part, but not much more than that. The Phillies could be this year’s Diamondbacks, a team that comes from a 90-loss season to being a contender, and to do that they’d need pitching. If, as Ken Rosenthal writes, they’d rather have a player in the “short-term,” that might not be Darvish.
We could be getting closer to a resolution:
Source: Yu Darvish is increasingly likely to sign with an @MLB team this week. #Twins are among the teams with whom he is engaged in ongoing discussions. @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 24, 2018
We know the Cubs and Brewers have made offers. The two teams he has previously played for, the Rangers and Dodgers, could still be in the mix for his services, but there have been no reports on offers from those clubs, and the Rangers have been reported as unlikely to sign a big free agent this winter.
Here’s a random Darvish tweet:
I predict Cubs sign Darvish today. No reason why. Just a spidey sense.
— Ben Finfer (@BenFinfer) January 25, 2018
Is that true? It either is, or it isn’t.
We are 20 days away from the Cubs’ first pitcher/catcher workout February 14. I, for one, hope Yu Darvish is wearing his familiar No. 11 uniform on the back fields at Sloan Park in Mesa that day.