With less than two weeks remaining in the month of December, an abundance of high-profile free agents still find themselves without a club for the 2018 season. Among the most notable players available include Los Angeles Dodgers midseason acquisition Yu Darvish, who is arguably the best starting pitcher left on the market.
Darvish, 31, has generated serious interest from around the league and is expected to sign one of the largest contracts of the offseason.
He recently met with a trio of teams this week, including a pair of 2017 postseason opponents, the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros, and his former Texas Rangers club.
Another team could potentially enter the mix, as the New York Yankees are monitoring Darvish’s market should his price drop over the ensuing weeks, per George King III of The New York Post:
“They are sniffing around in case the price drops,’’ said a person with a team interested in signing the 31-year-old Darvish, who reportedly is looking for $20 million to $25 million per year.
Having already made headlines this winter with the acquisition of Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees are at least exploring the prospect of making another splash by signing Darvish. Though, the club has prioritized remaining under the luxury tax threshold and will need to be creative to take on another hefty salary commitment.
The same holds true for the Dodgers, who successfully managed to reduce their 2018 payroll with the trade of Charlie Culberson, Scott Kazmir, Adrian Gonzalez and Brandon McCarthy to the Atlanta Braves.
Los Angeles reportedly still has interest in a reunion with Darvish, but would presumably have to find a taker for Matt Kemp’s’ contract to consummate a signing.
General Manager Farhan Zaidi revealed at the Winter Meetings that ongoing conversations with Darvish were taking place, and the right-hander previously stated his desire to re-sign with the club before reaching the open market.
