As the month of January comes to a close, there remains a glut of premium free agents that find themselves unsigned for the 2018 season. That includes Yu Darvish, who was expected to command one of the largest contracts of the winter.
While Darvish lingers on the open market, there is no shortage of clubs that have reached out to him. At some point this offseason, the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers have all expressed interest.
Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw has worked out with Darvish this offseason, and even made a sales pitch to him on potentially re-signing with the Dodgers, according to Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times:
“We don’t talk a ton about where he’s at,” Kershaw said Friday at a community event in Alhambra where several Dodgers helped build a playground. “Obviously, I’ve made my sales pitch. We’ll see what happens …
“We don’t talk about what kind of offers he’s gotten, or anything like that. I don’t want to pressure him too much. But he looks good playing catch, I’ll say that.”
Kershaw and Darvish have been consistent throwing partners this offseason, as the two own homes in Dallas.
The Cubs are viewed by some as the favorite to sign Darvish, though the Dodgers also remain interested. Los Angeles would have to clear further salary from its payroll to entertain a possible reunion, as the front office has prioritized staying beneath the $197 million luxury tax threshold.
Despite pitchers and catchers being set to report to Spring Training in less than two weeks, there is no timetable on when Darvish and other remaining top free agents may sign.
