When the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired starting pitcher Yu Darvish at the non-waiver trade deadline, they certainly were well aware that he was due to hit free agency at the end of the season.
With their desire to get under the luxury tax threshold, plus Darvish’s struggles in the World Series, a reunion between the two sides seemed to be unlikely at the beginning of the offseason.
But the Dodgers have since made a trade with the Atlanta Braves to unload big contracts in Adrian Gonzalez, Brandon McCarthy and Scott Kazmir. And they have remained in contact with Darvish about the possibility of re-signing him.
The Dodgers have some competition though as he has met with the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros and Rangers in the past week, with the Yankees also possibly showing interest if Darvish’s price tag comes down.
The Minnesota Twins have also not hidden their interest in signing Darvish, and according to Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball he remains their top target:
Twins people seem to have clammed up. But it’s clear their top target remains Yu Darvish.
The Twins were a surprise team in 2017, as they earned a berth in the American League Wild Card Game. The one thing they lacked was a true ace, which is a void that Darvish could fill.
With a number of teams showing interest in Darvish, it is unlikely that he would need to come off a presumed high asking price for a contract. Thus, the Dodgers and Yankees aren’t candidates to become seriously involved.
If the Dodgers are able to trade Matt Kemp and free up some more money that would help their cause. Although, his market is currently said to be nonexistent.
Darvish signing with the Cubs would pose the biggest threat to Los Angeles as the two teams have split the last two National League Championship Series. The Cubs have already taken another key arm away from the Dodgers by signing Brandon Morrow to a two-year contract.
