The slow and frustrating MLB offseason continues as we head into February. Pitchers and catchers report in just two weeks and the top pitching names in baseball still have not found their homes for 2018 and beyond. The big one is Yu Darvish. While he had not made a decision prior to the new year, the rumors and reports about his possible destination have circled around him constantly. The rumor mill, for the past several weeks, had pointed to him signing soon — but there is still nothing official.

The one aspect, that has remained fairly consistent, is his connection to several teams including the Cubs, Twins, Yankees, Rangers, and Dodgers.

Recently the signs have pointed to Darvish going to the Chicago Cubs, but reports suggest that he could be waiting for the Dodgers to clear some payroll space and make a move for him. His desired destinations (per reports) could help narrow things down a bit. Either way, he will have to make a decision soon because of how close spring ball is.

Latest rumblings

A lot has been said about the report by LA Times' Andy McCullough, who said that he understands that Darvish wants to be a Dodger again. McCullough is a very respected and reliable source out in Los Angeles, so the doubt on that report is small. The main point of McCullough's report talks about the status of Matt Kemp, who the Dodgers got in a trade from the Braves after clearing away Adrian Gonzalez's contract.

Since he returned to the Dodgers this offseason, it has been said that the Dodgers are trying to ship Kemp off to help the luxury tax situation.

This basically suggests that Darvish has been waiting on the Dodgers to free up the space to return to Los Angeles. While all that is happening, there is another report from MLB.com's T.R.

Sullivan that Darvish wants to return to the Rangers. It was odd to see the reports of him desiring two different places, though these reports can also just be saying he would be okay returning to said places if the deal is right, and not a one and only preference. One big thing to note however is that Sullivan and other reports say a Darvish-Rangers reunion is "unlikely" due to the Rangers financial situation.

Cubs and Twins

These two teams have been linked to Darvish for a while now and seemed like the front-runners. The Cubs have a lot of money, which they could potentially pay up to five years for him. They had just signed catcher Chris Gimenez, who is close to Darvish and were teammates on the Rangers in 2014. After that deal, and reported "active talks", there was thought that the Cubs had a real shot to land him. It seems almost certain.

The latest rumors challenge those thoughts, but the Cubs are not out on him yet.

Meanwhile, the Twins rumors have apparently died down. It could be fair to say they are out on him. The Twins do not have quite the financial flexibility some of the other teams have, so they may go after Alex Cobb or Lance Lynn instead.

When will he sign?

If the rumors about the Dodgers are true, it could very well be when they make a move involving Matt Kemp.

Though, the Dodgers will have to find someone to take that deal first and who knows when or if that will happen. This could also be time for the Cubs to work to their advantage, but they probably have a limit as to what to give him.

At the end of the day, he has to make a decision soon with spring training around the corner. And this does not only apply to Darvish but the other free agents. It is understandable they want to get the best bang for their buck, but they probably do not want to have to see pitchers and catchers reporting and still not have a job.
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