An abnormally slow offseason has resulted in Yu Darvish and several marquee players remaining on the open market despite Spring Training camps opening in one month. Darvish, along with Jake Arrieta, was predicted to sign two of the more lucrative contracts amongst starting pitchers.
That may still hold true, but it’s also plausible the right-handers don’t receive the respective deals they once desired or expected. Darvish has fielded reported interest from the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers, among others.
He’s said to have met with several of the prospective clubs, though the Dodgers aren’t believed to be among them. Neither are the Yankees, but they and Los Angeles continue to be linked to the 31-year-old.
ESPN’s Michael Kay reported on his radio show that the Yankees offered Darvish a seven-year, $160 million contract. Darvish, as he’s previously done this offseason, offered some clarification on Twitter.
After mistakingly saying the Yankees had not made an offer, Darvish revealed they did, but still refuted the reported terms, via Twitter:
Sorry guys. My mistake.
Actually they did make offer but the numbers are not correct. https://t.co/0mIvMlZTPJ— ダルビッシュ有(Yu Darvish) (@faridyu) January 12, 2018
Like the Dodgers, the Yankees moved toward remaining below the luxury tax threshold for this season in order to prepare for the 2018-19 free agency class that’s expected to be headlined by Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, among other superstars.
But as this winter’s quiet free agency drags on, and Darvish’s contract demands presumably decrease, it’s believed to be more likely the Dodgers and Yankees become involved. After disappointing in the World Series, the four-time All-Star expressed a strong desire to re-sign with Los Angeles.
