MLB Trade Rumors 2018: New York Yankees Think They Can Sign Yu Darvish at a 'Reasonable' Price
The New York Yankees could not acquire Gerrit Cole because the Pittsburgh Pirates' asking price for the starting pitcher was just too high, but they still haven't given up in their pursuit of Yu Darvish.
According to the New York Daily News' John Harper, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman believes that they still have a real chance to sign Darvish and he seems to think they can get him at a "reasonable" price because of the stalled free-agent market.
Darvish is expected to command a seven-year contract worth around $160 million, but Cashman reportedly thinks that they can get it down to a five-year deal worth between $80 and $90 million.
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"Sources say the Yankees sense an opportunity to get Darvish on a five-year deal in the $90 million range, believing that all teams are more committed than ever to limiting the length of mega-deals, especially for pitchers, and that the righthander's awful World Series could affect his total dollars," Cashman said in his report.
"At that price it would be hard to argue with the move, as Darvish, at age 31, has such elite stuff that he ought to be able to pitch at a high level into his mid-30s," he added.
However, the Yankees signing Darvish to a deal worth $16-18 million a year will still put them over the luxury-tax threshold, so they will have to make other moves to make it work.
Cashman specifically mentioned Jacoby Ellsbury and Clint Frazier as players who could be dealt to get under the threshold. Cashman also suggested trading either David Robertson or Brett Gardner, but he admitted that Cashman was unlikely to make such a move because they were both key players for the Yankees.
In any case, the Yankees will find a way to get their man.
Darvish went 10–12 with a 3.86 earned run average (ERA) in 31 starts with the Texas Rangers and the Los Angeles Dodgers last season. He also had 209 strikeouts in 186.2 innings pitched.
