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The Chicago Cubs didn’t start the offseason on Yu Darvish, but that’s where they ended up. How did the Cubs get to him over everyone else?
At the beginning of the offseason, the Chicago Cubs were interested in Yu Darvish. But the fact was that they weren’t going to spend a $160 million or more on a starting pitcher. Which is why our William Chase didn’t see it happening, either. He was wrong, sort of. The Cubs got Darvish for $126 million, well under the AAV he initially was expected to get. Did two bad World Series starts turn people off that much? If it did? Good for the Cubs.
Even with the two poor starts, the Cubs knew he was a better pitcher than that. 2017 was his first full year after the Tommy John surgery, and he’s still coming around to the pitcher he was–and still can be. There comes a time when you stop throwing and start pitching. Sounds silly, right? But it’s something that every pitcher has come to the point of having to do. This might be the time for Darvish to make that move.
The Cubs’ Mike Montgomery wanted to be a starter, or be traded to someplace that he could be. That came as a surprise to the Cubs at the time. And in all honesty, it was hard to tell Monty what his role would be. With the signing of Darvish, things have become a little more clear for him. He’ll shift back to the bullpen with the occasional spot start if the Cubs have a long stretch of games. Will this be enough to keep him happy?
These and other stories you might have missed:
‘Things fell just right for Cubs, Darvish’ – Cubbies Crib
‘Darvish ready to take that next step?’ – Cubbies Crib
‘What if Montgomery is unhappy with his role?’ – Cubbies Crib
’10 most interesting players in spring training’ – MLB.com
‘Workouts begin for unsigned free agents’ – ESPN
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Who will lead off for #Cubs? Almora: "We were sitting right here and I was like, 'Hey, I may lead off this year. You have to teach me.' [Rizzo] goes, 'I am the best leadoff hitter in the world.' I said, 'All right, you do it then.'"
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