Chicago Cubs, Yu Darvish rumors running rampant after latest signing

After signing Yu Darvish’s ‘favorite catcher,’ the Chicago Cubs once again appear to the be favorites to land the coveted right-handed free agent.

A big part of Jon Lester‘s early success as he transitioned to his life as the Chicago Cubs ace was having a guy he knew behind the dish in David Ross. Of course, the two paired up to lead Chicago to a World Series title, each playing a critical role in that historic Game 7 two years ago.

Now, Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer appear to be at it again in signing veteran catcher Chris Gimenez,  a former personal catcher for Yu Darvish. But his signing does not necessarily equate to Darvish coming to the North Side.

He also spent two years in Tampa Bay under Joe Maddon and new pitching coach Jim Hickey. And, if there’s one thing we know about Joe, it’s that he likes guys he’s familiar with. And who else is still available on the market? Former Tampa Bay right-hander Alex Cobb.

If nothing else, adding Gimenez provides an insurance policy on starting catcher Willson Contreras. It would appear that Victor Caratini will open the year with Triple-A Iowa barring injury, allowing Gimenez to give Willson a blow from time-to-time.

But we’re in the home stretch here. Will the veteran lure Darvish to Chicago or does it cement what we all believed when the offseason opened – Alex Cobb makes the most sense for the Cubs.