MLB Rumors: Is Yu Darvish Ready to Sign With the Chicago Cubs?
The Chicago Cubs have been busy reinforcing their pitching staff this offseason, but their biggest move may still be coming.
Recently, ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reported that some executives considered the Cubs as the frontrunner to sign star pitcher Yu Darvish.
Not long after that, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports revealed that there were people around MLB who think Darvish could sign this week.
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If Darvish does indeed end up with the Cubs, it could be a partnership that ends up beneficial for both parties.
For the Cubs, Darvish could serve as the new anchor for their rotation.
Jon Lester is currently slotted in as the number one guy in the Cubs' rotation, and while his overall body of work with the team presents a pretty good argument for him remaining as the ace, the noticeable decline in his production last season may be an indicator that he is better suited to be a number 2 or 3 pitcher moving forward.
Kyle Hendricks could also make a case to be the Cubs' ace, but given that most teams want a guy with strikeout stuff to headline the rotation, the team may be more comfortable keeping him in his current role.
A healthy Darvish is an ace-type pitcher and one who the Cubs would probably love to have onboard.
As for Darvish, signing with the Cubs could present him with a path to redemption.
Following his lackluster outings in the World Series, Darvish probably wants to show that he can perform on the sport's biggest stage. By signing with the Cubs, Darvish can align himself with a contender and one that managed to win it all back in 2016.
Given that Darvish still has not signed on the dotted line, there may be other teams who remain in the running. But at this point at least, the 31-year-old going to the Cubs seems to be the likely outcome.
