Yesterday we saw as one of the top pitchers on the free agent market was developing a serious suitor, an interesting trade of large contracts went down, and a veteran pitcher re-signed to be with his team for a tenth year.
The Chicago Cubs are in the market for a starting pitcher and with the way things look now, they don’t appear to be settling for less than the best. Bruce Levine of CBSChicago.com reports that the organization is interested in Yu Darvish.
The Cubs showed interest in Alex Cobb just as recent as a week ago. That changed at the Winter Meetings when the Cubs learned of Cobb’s anticipated contract which they thought was too big in terms of price and length for him.
Instead of pursuing Cobb, the Cubs are looking to go all-in for the 31-year-old Darvish.
Other MLB News and Notes
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic expects J.D. Martinez to land a seven-year deal with Scott Boras as his agent. Boras was able to aid Matt Holliday, Jacoby Ellsbury, Chris Davis, Shin-Soo Choo, and Jayson Werth to seven-year deals each.
Matt Kemp was traded back to the Los Angeles Dodgers from the Atlanta Braves in a five-player deal. The Braves received Adrian Gonzalez, Brandon McCarthy, Charlie Culberson, Scott Kazmir, and cash considerations in return.
Upon receiving Gonzalez, the Braves designated him for assignment, enabling him to become a free agent on Wednesday. Kemp may be on the move as well, as Rosenthal’s sources indicate he’s likely to be traded or released.
C.C. Sabathia re-signed with the New York Yankees. He will pitch in the Bronx for 2018 on a one-year, $10 million contract.
Matt Albers will be remaining in the nation’s capital. Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com notes that he’s expected to re-sign with the Washington Nationals sometime next week.
Yovani Gallardo agreed to a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. The 31-year-old had his $13 million option declined by the Seattle Mariners after going 5-10 with a 5.72 ERA, 5.53 FIP, 1.515 WHIP, and 94 strikeouts in 130 2/3 innings and 28 games (22 starts) in 2017.
