Cubs righty Yu Darvish isn’t ready to make anything official, but has given clear indication in recent comments that he has no intentions of opting out of the remaining four years and $81MM left on his contract. That it’s even a question worth asking reflects his remarkable mid-season turnaround.
In recent interviews with Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune and the full slate of Cubs beat reporters (including MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian), Darvish said he’s going to take some time to think things over and discuss it with his agent and family. There’s still a few weeks’ time to think things over. Darvish’s season is over — he won’t take his final start owing to nagging forearm discomfort — and he doesn’t need to make an official decision until after the end of the World Series.
But it doesn’t seem likely that things will change in the interim. Darvish said that he’s “so comfortable” in Chicago and that his family is as well. He credited the organization — particularly skipper Joe Maddon — for patience as he worked through marked early difficulties after signing a big contract.
Truth be told, it’d be tough for Darvish to beat the remaining guarantee he has in hand. He just turned 33, has a worrying injury history, and limped through his first year-and-a-half with the Cubs. But he has been exceptional down the stretch. Over his final 13 starts, Darvish carried a 2.76 ERA with 118 strikeouts and just seven walks.
Darvish says he has never before commanded the baseball as well as he is now. With the results to prove it, the future again looks promising for a key Cubs performer. Darvish, at least, thinks that Chicago is the right place for him to continue his excellent career. “This organization is perfect for me,” he says.
Come on, Helen Keller saw this one coming!
I think Darvish should be the Cubs starter in the first game of the NLDS this year.
Zing
No surprise. Hopefully he’ll sustain his improved performance.
I hope he opts out! Theo needs a do over on this one!
Least shocking headline of the year.
Almost as shocking as heyward last year
Shocker
Further evidence that opt-out clauses are terrible for teams
Actually if he opted out it would be terrible for the team. Opting to stay is good for the Cubs.
Opt out or team options are good for whoever has them and bad for those who dont, it’s kind of the entire point of them and mutual options are just pointless.
@kleppy12 a lot of commenters say that opt-outs are mutually beneficial because they potentially take the team of the hook for the player’s decline years. But in practice, you basically never see a player opt-out in a scenario where their team wants them to. Really the only player who has done that is AJ Burnett but he knew he wasn’t going to beat the money he was leaving on the table in FA but getting to spend his last season before he retired pitching for a contender was evidently more important to him.
Bryce Harper is gonna regret not having at least 3 of them 1 every 4 years. I dont see him finishing his contract with philly
Thus cursing the Cubbies for four more years.
Cursing? He has pitched lights out for a while now. Dude is the ace of the staff.
Come on now, last year the Cubs’ fans were saying that Darvish was a garbage pitcher to a bad signing and now he is the Ace for the Cubs. Darvish was 6 and 8 with 3.98 ERA this year where he is getting paid like an Ace but is not actually one right now. Darvish is only on the Cubs to attract that Japanese market next season when the new tv deals kicks in next year.
The Japanese market? So like the Sox sign Cuban players to attract the Cuban market?
BVT the Japanese market? What is wrong with you?
Cuban market? No the Sox are in the TALENT market.
Are you guys that stupid where you do not realize baseball is huge in Japan, Darvish is from Japan and the people there will watch Cubs’ games when he pitches for them? Therefore a lot of people in Japan would be purchasing the Cubs’ station! It’s common sense!
Darvish was signed by the Cubs to replace Arrieta, not to sell the new network to the Japanese. We don’t even know how MLB is broadcast in Japan.
Japan airs MLB games! Japan has been doing it for years. There is a reason why most of the teams with their own networks had and have Japanese players on their teams. A friend of mine went to Japan a few times and told me that Darvish was probably the most popular player.
The Cubs were trying to get Othani that offseason but did not have the international bonus money to obtain him. There were rumors how the Cubs made a few attempts to move Baez to obtain international pool money but could not get it done. That’s why the Cubs signed Darvish. Don’t forget that Darvish did not sign with the Cubs right away.
People in Japan can directly buy Marquee, MSN, etc.?
Krinks obviously does not watch much baseball let alone Cubs games
Will Myers for Darvish straight up!
You would like that. Yu and I would not.
Padres would jump at that.
I’d love to get rid of Darvish, but that is a laughable offer. Myers is literally worthless. At least Yu offers something.
You offers $21mm salary of 4.00+ ERa his age 33-36 seasons. Very valuable
I didn’t say Yu offered a lot of value Captain Troll. I said he’s much more valuable than Myers. Which isn’t saying much. I basically indicated that Yu is way overpaid and he wasn’t worth the money in my prior post, but you felt it necessary to point out something that I am already saying. Just dumb…
If Darvish pitches like he did in the 2nd half this year, then I am happy to see him back.
Why would he opt out? Im sure chicago is a nice place to play after starting in texas. Plus, hed likely only get like 3/35 4/45
He pitched better in TX and is used to the heat. Texas was smart to let him go. He will be riddled with injuries the rest of his career.
Japanese players never hold up in majors except for ichiro
Lol “he’s comfort in Chicago”? Like he’s comfortable making $20 million a year when he’s aware no one would even come close spewing out.
Stuck paying him 4/81m and Maddon is the one on the hot seat.
Enjoy 37 yr old Yu making 20 mil Chicago.
Ha, $20M is peanuts on The North Side, in 2023 it will be even less. A bad investment for sure, but lets not act like it’s really going to hamstring the Cubs…
A 3.1 WAR starter with 11.5 K/9 and a 4:1 K/BB ratio and 1.09 WHIP. I don’t think 4/$81M is unreasonable in today’s market, assuming he can stay healthy and make around 30 starts per season. Granted that’s far from a guarantee but no one can predict injury. I admit I thought this was a terrible contract when signed and it has been until July of this year but the way he threw the ball in the second half allows for some optimism. He was fantastic down the stretch. With the question marks surrounding the rest of the rotation, he and Hendricks offer some stability. As a Cub fan, I hope he does not opt out although earlier this year I would have pleaded for it. As for J-Hey, well, that’s a different story.
Do you really trust Darvish maintaining his 2nd half performance? I’m a Cubs fan and I’ve got zero faith that he’s close to this good again. Not to mention he’s a walking injury waiting to happen.
Another Capt. Obvious article of course he won’t opt out. I doubt he’d get close to half that on the open market.
This just in……. Yu dervish is not an idiot. Can’t say the same about the guy who gave him that contract