Chicago Cubs, Yu Darvish rumors running rampant after latest signing

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LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 01: Yu Darvish #21 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches in the first inning against the Houston Astros in game seven of the 2017 World Series at Dodger Stadium on November 1, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images) /

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.

CHICAGO, IL – OCTOBER 17: Yu Darvish #21 of the Los Angeles Dodgers stretches before game three of the National League Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on October 17, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

Chicago Cubs, Darvish talking about a deal?

An Associated Press report Monday night detailed ‘active talks’ between the Cubs and Darvish – the right-hander who shut them down in the NLCS at Wrigley Field last October. When you add in the reported signing of Gimenez, it’s hard not to connect the dots.

Darvish, 31, spent his entire Major League career with the Texas Rangers before a midseason trade last year that sent him to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He pitched much better in the National League down the stretch, putting up a 3.38 FIP in nine regular season starts with L.A.

Now, here’s what worries Cubs fans. After dominating Chicago in the League Championship Series, the wheels came off in spectacular fashion in the World Series. Darvish made two starts against the Houston Astros, compiling a 21.60 ERA across just 3 1/3 innings of work. Later, reports of tipped pitches allayed some of those concerns, but a good many fans remain wary.

A steal compared to years’ past

Personally, a Darvish signing puts the Cubs over the top – giving them one of the most potent rotations in the game heading in to Spring Training. Especially if they can pull off something in the range Buster Olney mentioned.

If Yu Darvish, 31 years old, winds up with a 5-year deal worth something in the range of $100m-$125m, that would be a heck of a contract in the current market. A 6-year offer might represent a possible tipping point for an interested team.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) January 23, 2018

If you can sign Darvish for five years at a $20 million AAV (5/100) – you do it. He is a proven pitcher who brings with him tremendous experience from both overseas and the big leagues. In any potential postseason series, the Cubs could conceivably trot out Darvish along with Kyle Hendricks, Jon Lester and Jose Quintana. And that’s completely looking past Tyler Chatwood, who could prove to be a steal if he pans out.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – JULY 26: Alex Cobb #53 of the Tampa Bay Rays pitches during the first inning of a game against the Baltimore Orioles on July 26, 2017 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images) /

Chicago Cubs, Alex Cobb rumors won’t go away

When the offseason began, Alex Cobb was going to be the Cubs’ guy. He was a lower-cost option (when compared to Darvish or Jake Arrieta). Both Maddon and Hickey had a great deal of experience with him. And he fit into what the Cubs needed perfectly.

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Well, that was October. Here we are with just over a week left in January and he still hasn’t signed. But, according to Bruce Levine, he still makes the most sense – and, if the money is right, I happen to agree. While Darvish is certainly more capable of being dominant, I prefer quality consistency over all else – and that, in my mind, is what Cobb offers.

Cobb, 30, is younger than Arrieta and Darvish and with 700 career innings hasn’t had the career workload of the other two. Arrieta has logged 1,161 innings, and there’s some concern about his downtick in velocity. Darvish has logged 832 1/3 innings in the big leagues after throwing 1,268 1/3 innings playing professionally in Japan.

Cobb at three years and $45 million looks like a pipe dream at this point. Four years and somewhere in the $70-80 million range seems far more likely. Still, he could be bargain if Darvish and Arrieta get $120 million-range deals.

That’s a big ‘if’, though.

If there’s less than $20 million separating Darvish from Cobb, do you really take the former Rays’ right-hander? Or do you hope Darvish lives up to what he’s capable of and build what many would bill as the best rotation in the National League?

Chicago Cubs doing all they can to land their man

David Ross brought more than his play on the field to the Chicago Cubs. Chris Gimenez is cut from the same cloth – and, in fact, put up eerily similar numbers behind the plate.

Davis Ross 2016: 326 wOBA, 100 wRC+, top 30 percent in framing, 14.6 % BB%, 26.3% K%, 205 PA

Chris Gimenez 2017: 326 wOBA, 100 wRC+, top 27 percent in framing, 14.7% BB%, 26.7% K%, 225 PA

And old. And revered by teammates. And personal catchers to aces. Weird.
— Brendan Miller (@brendan_cubs) January 23, 2018

As happy as I am with the Cubs signing Gimenez, there’s another element to this. He spent last year in Minnesota. The Twins have reportedly pushed hard to land Darvish – and their not bringing back a guy he’s so intimately comfortable throwing to bodes well for Chicago.

A career .218 hitter, this guy isn’t going to tremendously improve the Cubs offense by any stretch. But as Willson Contreras continues to improve defensively, Gimenez offers a lot to the young stud. And that rings true whether or not Chicago lands Arrieta, Cobb or Darvish.

Next: Is a discount deal in the cards for Jay?

In the end, the last 24 hours reinforce something we’ve all come to know. Epstein and Hoyer leave no stone unturned – and, if they want their man, they’re ready and willing to pull out all the stops to get it done.

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