If Cubs rebuild, they could trade Yu Darvish to one of these teams

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Yu Darvish would bring a nice return if the Cubs decide to enter rebuild mode

When the Cubs signed free agent Yu Darvish back in 2018 for six years and $126 million, they didn’t know how much value that contract would have attached to it as we enter the 2020 offseason.

Given the turnaround performance of Darvish these past two seasons, along with some of the other major deals signed by starting pitchers, Darvish looks like one of the biggest bargains out there. With that being said, if the Cubs decide to enter a rebuilding mode, this year’s NL Cy Young runner-up would bring back a nice return and there would definitely be a few suitors for the ace.

Darvish is currently the 11th-highest paid starting pitcher in baseball. The ten in front of him are, in order: Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg, David Price, Max Scherzer, Zack Greinke, Masahiro Tanaka, Chris Sale, Patrick Corbin, Jacob DeGrom and Johnny Cueto.

Darvish finished 2020 with more wins than all of these pitchers and tied for the most in all of baseball with eight. He finished with a lower ERA (2.01) than all of them which was also good for fourth-best in all of baseball. He also closed out the season with more quality starts (10) than all of those names ahead of him – again, tied for the most in all MLB.

(Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
(Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /

Cubs could look to the Angels, a team that badly needs pitching

Darvish has so much value next to his name and he would garner a lot of attention if the Cubs made him available in trade talks. The first team that comes to mind as a potential suitor is the Angels. Los Angeles had to be the most disappointing team in 2020. After bringing in Joe Maddon as manager and inking Anthony Rendon to a seven-year, $245 million deal on the heels signing Mike Trout to a big extension, they went 26-34, good for fourth in the American League West.

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The need in Los Angeles is pitching and signing Dylan Bundy at the head of the rotation isn’t going to get it done. With a new GM at the helm, they should come hard and fast for Darvish if made available and if done, would make this team actual contenders out West.

An absolute ‘probably never going to happen, but let’s talk about it anyway’ landing spot is just up I-94 in Milwaukee. The Brewers already boast two of the most under-the-radar starters in the league in Brandon Woodruff and Corbin Burnes. But that’s about it when it comes to starting pitching – and Darvish would help them elevate that staff in a big way.

They have issues offensively but having the ability to really play up the starting rotation would be something the front office shouldn’t pass up on. Along with that, Josh Hader is a name that the Brewers will want to potentially move and could be someone included in a deal if the Cubs want to add youth to the rotation and bolster the bullpen for more of a re-tool, rather than a full-blown rebuild.

(Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
(Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Cubs, White Sox could make a deal that shakes up the landscape

The last team that could be a fit is the, dare I say it, the White Sox. The Sox are coming off a special regular season and are in position to make even more noise in 2021. However, we saw the need for depth in their starting rotation once the postseason arrived.

Lucas Giolito, Dallas Keuchel and Dylan Cease are three names that can hold their own in that rotation and the hope is that Michael Kopech will become a staple when healthy, but the back end needs something and Darvish would be the guy to take this group to the next level.

The offensive talent along with the youth is there and if they can fill out the pitching staff, they can become serious World Series contenders. What would be interesting is if the Cubs could bring back some young talent back to the North Side, essentially in a move that runs opposite to what went down in the Jose Quintana trade.

Next. Chicago Cubs: Ranking the team's least likely trade targets. dark

The Cubs would be smart to see what type of return Darvish would bring. Entertaining the idea of trading their ace would be the right thing to do as the team explores all of their options this offseason. The chances of moving the ace are low, but new president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer should do his homework to see what’s out there.

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