Yu Darvish Signs With Chicago Cubs; Now What?

By    |  
Updated:
Minnesota Twins owner, Jim Pohlad, left, and new general manager Tad Levine, right, applaud the introduction of new chief baseball officer Derek Falvey, center, during introductions Monday, Nov. 7, 2016 in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

Yes.

After a marathon battle of cat and mouse, the back-and-forth between Yu Darvish and the MLB free agency market finally came to an end on Saturday. The 31-year-old pitcher agreed to a six-year, $126 million deal with the Chicago Cubs.

Well, so much for the whole Mike Napoli recruiting Yu Darvish to sign with Minnesota thing. That whole story was as epic a reach as that one Michael Jordan dunk in Space Jam? Twins fans were supposed to be encouraged that a player, who’s not EVEN on our team, would help land one of the two most sought after free agent pitchers? As much as I wanted it to, that one didn’t pull the wool over my eyes.

Anywho, it’s on to the next one. F*ck it. The initial domino has FINALLY fallen. Yu Darvish, like the recently engaged Carson Wentz, is off of the market.

Per Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press, a rival club official said he still expected the Twins to land a starting pitcher but was “not sure which level they go to.”

As for other free agent pitchers available, Jake Arrieta is now, hands-down, the most coveted starting hurler available. Financially, the former Cy Young Award winner has the potential to top Darvish’s deal. Here are the 31 year-old’s numbers from the last few seasons:

In the event Arrieta is anywhere near his 2015 self, someone out there is getting a bonafide ace. Personally, considering his age and his downward-trending numbers, I’m good without Jake the Snake. Plus, he shaved his patented beard:

After Arrieta, there’s a drop-off to the next tier of talent, which includes Alex Cobb and Lance Lynn. Cobb (30 years-old) is coming of a 2017 campaign with the Rays, where he finished with 12-10 record (29 starts) and a 3.66 ERA. As for Lynn (30 years-old), the longtime St. Louis Cardinal, posted an 11-8 record (33 starts) with an ERA of 3.43 last season. Those numbers are right there with what Arrieta posted in 2017. As for how much Cobb and Lynn will get paid, that won’t be right there with the former Chicago Cub.

Berardino also reported that the Twins are continuing to explore starting pitchers such as Chris Archer and Jake Odorizzi.

The way I see it, outside of avoiding Arrieta and his fat price tag, I don’t give a shit who they bring in at this point. Just bring in someone decent, please. With Ervin Santana set to miss the start of the season with a finger injury, this potential rotation sounds rough…

Johnny Minnesota @TheJohnnyMN
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com

Mentioned in this article:

More About: