Moments before the cluck struck 1 p.m. PT on Monday, the Los Angeles Dodgers had their man. The Texas Rangers accepted a package of prospects that did not include Walker Buehler or Alex Verdugo, and traded Yu Darvish to the Dodgers.
The trade sent shockwaves throughout baseball. Aside from it being pushed through just prior to the non-waiver trade deadline, the team with the best record in baseball added an ace to a starting rotation that boasted the best ERA.
“It was obviously tense, and it was really exciting,” Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi told SportsNet LA broadcasters Joe Davis and Orel Hershiser during an in-game interview Wednesday night.
“This was a guy who was a really high priority for us. As the couple weeks leading up to the deadline were materializing, there were times when we really had our hopes high and there were other times we didn’t think it was going to work out.”
A general consensus held that if the Rangers were going to trade Darvish, the Dodgers were the likely landing spot. Los Angeles has a farm system flush with young talent and ample reason to make a blockbuster trade with an eye on bringing an end to a 29-year World Series drought.
“We always had the framework of a deal in place,” Zaidi said of negotiations for Darvish. “We had some players that we knew the Rangers liked. We just kind of had to be patient and let the process play out.”
That the trade was finalized under the pressure of a rapidly-approaching deadline only aided matters in Zaidi’s estimation. “Sometimes you need that hard deadline that you’re up against before you can finally get something done,” explained.
“I think that was the case here.”
Darvish is scheduled to throw a bullpen session at SunTrust Park on Wednesday and make his debut with the Dodgers on Friday in the series opener against the New York Mets.
