The Chicago Cubs recently joined the Yu Darvish sweepstakes, and their gamble could pay off. The Cubs are reportedly now the frontrunners in the race to sign the coveted MLB free agent.
According to ESPN insider Jerry Crasnick, MLB executives believe that the Cubs have the highest chance of getting Darvish. However, it is still unknown at this point if the 31-year-old pitcher is close to signing a deal or if he will opt to wait for better offers in the coming weeks, knowing that he is one of the top MLB free agents on the market.
While the offers of interested teams are kept on their chest, there are speculations that most teams placed similar offers on the table.
And according to John Heyman of Fan Rag Sports, the Cubs are expected to land the starting pitcher if the other teams will not make a dramatic change on their offers.
New York Yankees still in the race?
Aside from the Cubs, the new york yankees are still among the teams in the race to acquire Darvish. The star pitcher himself confirmed through a Twitter post that New York is one of his potential landing spots.
However, it remains to be seen whether or not the Yankees will cash in on the Japanese pitcher. Signing Darvish will mean huge luxury tax bill for the Yankees next season. But according to NJ.com, the longer the starter stays on the free-agent market, the more time the Yankees can find ways to leapfrog other interested teams.
According to the report, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman could strike deals that could give them a chance to sign the five-year veteran without going over the tax threshold. The Yankees could trade one player or two for salary relief, or offer a back-loaded deal to the Hakibino, Japan native.
How about Darvish staying in Los Angeles?
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers are still considered dark horses at this point. Darvish has made it no secret that he is open to returning to the Dodgers next season.
Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw could become a factor. The 29-year-old confirmed that he already made a sales pitch to four-time All-Star during one of their recent workouts together in Dallas.
“We don't talk a ton about where he's at,” Kershaw told Los Angeles Times on Friday. “Obviously, I've made my sales pitch. We'll see what happens.”
Darvish went 4-3 with a 3.86 ERA in nine starts for the Dodgers last season. Before getting traded to the Dodgers, he spent four and a half seasons with the Texas Rangers.
