The Chicago Cubs got ahead of the market last week when they completed a trade with the Chicago White Sox to acquire Jose Quintana. The left-hander not only was one of the top starting pitchers available, he’s among the few under team control beyond the 2017 season.
As teams slide out of or pull themselves into the playoff picture, who’s available at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline figures to adjust accordingly. As it stands, Oakland Athletics right-hander Sonny Gray is perhaps the best starter available.
That may soon change, however, as the Texas Rangers are in the process of determining what they would receive in a trade for Yu Darvish, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports:
The Texas Rangers have started reaching out to teams potentially interested in acquiring star pitcher Yu Darvish, gathering information on what sort of return they could receive if they decide to trade him before the July 31 deadline, major league sources told Yahoo Sports on Thursday.
Although Darvish is eligible to reach free agency this winter, he immediately would become one of the more sought-after players if made available. The 30-year-old presumably would slot near the top of just about any starting rotation in baseball.
Darvish this season is 6-8 with a 3.45 ERA, 3.72 FIP and 1.14 WHIP in 20 starts. His 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings are on track to set a career-low, while Darvish’s ERA would be the second-highest mark of his five-year career.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have the pool of prospects to trade for Darvish, but team president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has generally avoided high-price rentals. What’s more, the Dodgers’ focus appears to be on acquiring a left-handed reliever.
