MLB Roster Rumors: Yu Darvish Signs Six-Year, $126 million Deal with the Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs finally found someone to replace former Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta in the rotation, and this person also happens to be the most sought-after free-agent starting pitcher on the market.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic has reported that the Cubs have reached an agreement on a six-year, $126-million contract with Yu Darvish.
According to Rosenthal, the four-time All-Star will have the opportunity to earn as much as $150 million through performance-based incentives, but he has to win multiple Cy Young Awards to do so. The deal also includes an opt-out clause that can be exercised after the second year of the deal, per ESPN's Jeff Passan, and no-trade protection, according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.
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USA Today's Bob Nightengale said the 2016 World Series champions would announce deal after Darvish passes his physical.
Darvish should not have a problem stepping into the role left behind by Arrieta.
"Darvish can obviously make a big difference in a rotation which includes Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Jose Quintana and Chatwood. Mike Montgomery can return to the role of swingman as opposed to No. 5 starter as the Cubs added rotation depth and an elite arm, all in one move," Jesse Rogers said in his column for ESPN.
"Darvish's issues in the postseason aren't to be forgotten, but the Cubs have plenty of time to figure out if tipping his pitches in the World Series was at issue or if he mentally broke down," he continued.
Darvish went a combined 10–12 with a 3.86 earned run average (ERA) and a 1.16 walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) in 31 starts with the Texas Rangers and the Los Angeles Dodgers last season. He also recorded 209 strikeouts in 186.2 innings pitched.
Meanwhile, FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman has reported that Cubs president Theo Epstein actually reached out to Arrieta to see if he was willing to sign an extension with them before they completed the deal with Darvish. However, Arrieta turned down the offer.
