Trade chatter is heating up with few hours left before the non-waiver trade deadline. Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish is one of the hot commodities currently on the trading block, and two big market teams – the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers – are reportedly working on a trade package to acquire the All-Star hurler.
Then again, rumors are always half truth unless the deal actually happens. To properly guide baseball fans about the latest buzz on Darvish trade, here are several reports coming from legit sources.
Yankees not gunning for Darvish
The Yankees are not interested in trading for the 30-year old hurler. ESPN’s MLB Insider Buster Olney confirmed the Yankees “aren’t really that involved” in a trade for Darvish despite reports from various sources that New York is one of the two major players heading into the July 31 trade deadline.
Perhaps, Saturday’s trade that sent lefty Jaime Garcia from Minnesota to New York in exchange for Double-A prospect Zach Little and triple-A Dietrich Enns killed the momentum for a Darvish trade. Jon Heyman of FanRag backed this up after reporting the Yankees haven’t gotten “deep” into talks centering on Darvish. So, it’s almost certain New York won’t be having Darvish by the trade deadline.
Dodgers are still in
According to Forth-Worth Star-Telegram baseball writer Jeff Wilson, the Yankees, and the Dodgers are the two likeliest landing spot for Darvish. He added the Rangers’ stance in trading Darvish has become more solid than ever after the team executives met with the hurler last weekend. Texas wished they could trade Darvish to a contending team and re-sign him.
Still, amid the trade rumors, Darvish still wants to continue his career with the Rangers.
Third team in the mix
T.R Sullivan of MLB.com also reported that New York and Los Angeles are the top suitors for Darvish, although he already learned that there’s a third team vying for the Japanese’s hurler service. The identity of the third team has not been mentioned but Dallas Morning News Evan Grant mentioned the Cleveland Indians and the Houston Astros as two teams interested in the pitcher.
While the Indians are capable of putting together a trade package to land Darvish, the Astros face difficulty in hammering that particular deal.
Darvish, the former CY Young Award finalist, hasn’t been really doing well on the mound in the season. He went 6-9 in 22 starts with 4.01 ERA and 2.9 WAR. Nevertheless, he remains an intriguing trade target especially for a team with deep rotation like the Dodgers and the Yankees.
