:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/58532753/86182977.jpg.0.jpg)
It’s February! That means this month there will be actual baseball games between major-league teams; for the Cubs that begins three weeks from tomorrow when they face the Brewers at Maryvale.
And the following players, all of whom were significant contributors to their teams last year, are still unsigned:
Jake Arrieta, Melky Cabrera, Carlos Gomez, Carlos Gonzalez, Alex Cobb, Yu Darvish, Lucas Duda, Todd Frazier, Jeremy Hellickson, Eric Hosmer, Lance Lynn, J.D. Martinez, Mike Moustakas, Eduardo Nunez, Edinson Volquez and Neil Walker.
There are dozens more, too; that’s just some of the more notable names.
We’ve got something this morning from Ken Rosenthal:
Sources: #Brewers, casting wide net for SP, have had recent contact with #Rays on Archer. Deal would appear unlikely. TB might not view Santana or Phillips as enough of a centerpiece for a controllable ace. MIL might not want to cut deeper into its farm system after Yelich trade.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 1, 2018
To me, that would seem to imply that the Brewers are still looking at the free-agent market for a starting pitcher, meaning Darvish, Arrieta, Cobb and Lynn are still on their radar.
Meanwhile, Darvish, who was quite active on Twitter regarding his free-agent status earlier this winter, hasn’t tweeted at all in three days and hasn’t tweeted regarding free agency since January 21. I’m guessing his agents told him to lay low on Twitter, especially about his contract status.
Look what happens when you type “yu darvish” into Google News:
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/10136147/Screen_Shot_2018_02_01_at_6.55.20_AM.png)
Goodness, that’s a lot of teams, including a couple (Mariners, Angels) who haven’t been in any recent rumors, and the Brewers don’t show up at all. At least the Cubs are on the top of the list.
Not that this is any sort of scientific test or anything.
This MLB.com article, with “bold” predictions for February, says Darvish is going to sign with the Twins. Anthony Castrovince says the Twins have payroll room, which is true. But I don’t see the desire on Darvish’s part to go to Minnesota. FWIW, Castrovince also writes that Arrieta will remain unsigned this month and perhaps “even into the regular season.” That’d be pretty bold, all right.
That’s all I’ve got for this morning. Perhaps today will be the day the Great 2018 Free Agent Standoff ends.
Today’s music selection: