In a decision that won’t surprise anyone, right-hander Yu Darvish will not opt out of the remaining four years and $81MM on his contract, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweets. The 33-year-old had the right to re-enter the open market but will now remain with the Cubs for the final four seasons of that deal.
The first year of Darvish’s six-year, $126MM contract was an abject bust, as the former Rangers ace only pitched 40 innings while battling a series of injuries. Unsightly as the deal looked entering the season, though, Darvish did restore some credibility with a solid 3.98 ERA, 11.5 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 over the life of 31 starts (178 2/3 innings). Digging a bit deeper, Darvish’s final 20 starts were downright vintage form; he averaged 6 1/3 innings per outing while working to a 3.35 ERA with 11.8 K/9 and the best control of his big league career (1.3 BB/9).
Encouraging as that season was — his final four months, in particular — no one expected that Darvish would again test the open market. He’d surely have fallen shy of that $81MM guarantee, and as the pitcher himself explained in September, he and his family enjoy living in Chicago.
Darvish will return to a Cubs rotation that also includes Jon Lester (in the final season of his seven-year, $161MM deal), Kyle Hendricks and Jose Quintana. Righty Kendall Graveman could factor into the fifth spot in the rotation, as could Tyler Chatwood, but the Cubs will likely be in the market to reshape their pitching staff to some extent this winter.
Shocking. In other news, water is wet.
Another banal comment from the supreme hater Sox fan.
Glad to have Yu back for four more years if he can pitch like he did in the second half when healthy.
The Big Man. The Ace. There’s still work to do.
Lotta IFS in that statement. Betcha THEO would like a mulligan on that signing. 4 years and $82mm remaining for an ailing pitcher in his age 33-36 seasons. Yikes.
I only see one if in that statement…. two if you count the implied if concerning his health. Did you mean big ifs?
Because the pale hose have so many good signings behind them? The pale hose are in no position to criticize the Cubs at all, ever, until the win a WS.
Darvish had a good year. A very good year for $20MM. We’ll start with that. He’s a solid #2.. He could very easily do a fine job earning his remaining 4 years of $20MM, especially as $20MM declines in value.
White Sox won a World Series before the cubs. Both teams are completely different in several ways. Cubs have excellent players in Bryant, rizzo, Baez, and Contreras. White Sox have some good young players and need to spend money more effectively than the cubs have. Most cub fans would agree that they would happily give up on darvish, heyward, kimbrel, chatwood, and morrows contracts. Baseball fans can criticize any baseball move regardless of what there team has done. The cubs vs white Sox back and forth trash talking is so stupid. Neither team has much impact on the others season. You can point to eloy and cease for Quintana and pick that trade apart if you wanna talk about each squad other than that not really much to speak of other than two teams in completely different circumstances.
Water is not wet. Water makes you feel wet.
If we define “wet” as a sensation that we get when a liquid comes in contact with us, then yes, water is wet to us. If we define “wet” as “made of liquid or moisture”, then water is definitely wet because it is made of liquid, and in this sense, all liquids are wet because they are all made of liquids.
There is no joy in Chi Town.
I’m very joyful he’s staying
Realgone2 have you seen the sports teams in Chicago? Whole cities teams are dog crap.
This is unfortunate, but true.
I’m patiently waiting on the Strasburg decision….
i’ll say he stays. Wants to build a dynasty. I’m basing that on nothing.
I think he will opt out, or at minimum add on a year or two to his current deal. He could get a higher AAV and or more years if he were a FA so I think it’s a no brainer for him.
At the very least he will use the opt out as leverage to get the Nats to pay him more money.
Strasburg is not going to play next year for under the terms of his current contract.
I’m pretty sure that’s obvious to everyone.
He’s a Boras guy coming off a career year. He’s opting out. He’s just smart enough to do it after the parade.
he has til Sunday… When is the parade?
Parade is Saturday
You can count on Heyward to do the same.
Heyward doesn’t get an opt out this year. He didn’t hit the 550 plate appearances in 2019 to trigger it.
589 PAs, but it’s a moot point.
Heyward only have 513 AB this year, contract states he needs 550 for the opt-out clause – although either way, he is not going anywhere.
Plate appearances, not at bats. He had 589 PA.
This just in….. water is wet
That was already used.
It says Lester is in the final year of his seven year deal. He only had a six year deal
There is a vesting option for the 7th year.
correct – although the vesting option may get him another year (if he throws 200 innings in 2020): 6 years/$155M (2015-20), plus 2021 option. 2021 option guaranteed with 200 innings in 2020 or 400 IP in 2019-20) (from Cots contracts)
he hasn’t thrown 200 innings in 3 years. Doubt he gets there this year.
Well color me shocked.
Lester’s in the final year of a 6-year/$155mil. deal, not a 7-yr. deal.
Well close – let’s not get picky
I believe there is an option year after this year
Not surprising at all.
Cubs should target Gerrit Cole with Lester and Quintana coming off the books in the near future.
They’re going to have to pay or replace Rizzo, Baez, Bryant, Schwarber tho.
pay Rizzo, Baez, and probably Schwarbs – they won’t keep Bryant – wouldn’t be surprised if they do not try to trade him after arbitration is over.
Schwarber is gonna get traded not Bryant. KB will be traded next winter.
I think they’ll try and sign Baez and trade Bryant. How about Bryant to the Mets for Syndegaard and Nimmo and maybe a prospect? Mets need a 3rd baseman and RH power bat who hits for average.. Nimmo is a solid on base guy. And the Cub’s rotation gets much better.
No shot rondon.
I think it’s more of a possibility than you might think, pullhitter445
Rondon I agree with you. That is reasonable for both sides
Bryant for deGrom and a prospect or nothing
Rizzo and Baez ain’t going anywhere. Bryant should be traded for restock the farm and Schwarber should be traded as well.
Keep Schwarber.
Rizzo and Baez want to be cubs the rest of their careers. Bryant does too but as you know is agent is a talentless leach and he’ll get him to sign with some scrub team.
Bryant wants to stay a cub? lol, lol, lol.
Bryant could not care less about being a Cub
He actually loves the city and playing for them. Its boras that wants him out. This is very well documented. Honestly they should offer him a few extensions. Prior to his walk year. They have yet to do that. You never know.
They will keep them but Bryant MUST GO. Poor bad attitude baby has gotten worse every year for the last few and probably just can’t squeeze by on $250 K PER WEEK. Dump him!
He was hurt most of 2018 he had a great year this year.
He’s said several times he loves the city the fans and the team. You cant keep him if you dont ever offer an extension.
Cubs can’t afford cole. Cubs are in a poor financial state with current roster salaries and extension candidates. Not to mention needing to sign several bullpen arms and a starter or two. Trades will happen and address some of these issues. Theo has stayed they wish to stay below last years total team salary.
They have roughly 60-65mil to spend this offseason. They have plenty of money to spend. Its the rickets that has flat out refused to let theo and jed spend any money. For the 2019 season they were given only 15 mil to spend on free agents.
It would have been too good to be true if Darvish would have opted out! Money is going to kill the Cubs!
Doubt the Cub’s do more than check in on Cole.
There is no Ace on the Cubs staff anymore. Lester was an Ace the first few years of his deal there and they rode that Ace to a WS, but now he is more of a #4 starter. Darvish is a solid #2, and Hendricks is a solid #3. Quintana may not have his option exercised. The Cubs really need a horse like Cole to put them back into the playoff picture.
You are underestimating Hendricks (definitely a solid #2). He should be worth the extension in the way he keeps hitters off balance.
Q’s option will be picked up. They can trade him if the need arises.
The need will arise then the Cubs sign Cole.
I don’t know why but I have gut feeling that Cole is going to really fall off quickly some point in the next two years. Maybe it’s from seeing him all the time playing with the Pirates. I just get that feeling.
Is it just me or did Cole show a lack of class donning his Boras cap after the WS?
It’s not just you, but I disagree. He didn’t choose to play for Houston. He’s no longer a part of their team. He said great things about his teammates and we have no idea what took place with the front office during the season.
There are much worse ways to express your displeasure with the front office. If he has a beef with the front office, this was a pretty classy way to express it with out going off on them.
Does his salary include a mental health professional or do the Ricketts family pay for it?
That’s like me saying to you “Are you just slow or are you just stupid?”
Reference to his fragile psyche that has caused him problems over the years as well as reference to the horrible Trump – loving Ricketts family. But I guess it’s beyond you. I hope you have not bred any children.
Too late awhole. I’ve got three.
MAGA! KAG! TRUMP 2020!
Seems like the Cubs are currently kings of bad contracts on massive overpays. Giants have been ‘this team’ for a while between Matt Cain, Johnny Cueto, even guys like Marc Melancon…not that these guys had opt outs, but if they did they wouldn’t have taken them. Boston Red Sox are next with all their $30M AAV guys’ deals just kicking in. It is amazing how many of these mega deals fade into obscurity and the player on that contract is discussed in terms of “he couldn’t get this deal if his life depended on it on the market so no way is he opting out”. How many opt outs have resulted in much better deals a couple years down the line? I know a few have… A.J. Burnett converted 5 years/$55M into 3 years/$28.6M and 5 years/$82.5M or really, 9 years/$126.1M, which isn’t a bad deal in this era (what was with Toronto and giving guys these very low first year salaries to then explode subsequent seasons? Is it like the Washington Nationals and their deferments? They did that with Vernon Wells, too…I digress) I don’t see any Cubs players opting out of their deals and all these deals will mostly come and go without much to show for it. Only person who was worth it was Lester. I’d take 1 WS in 5 years for $150M to one player, or whatever the deal was.
Anyway most guys don’t opt out because very few guys increase their value while going into what would’ve been year 3 or 4 on an expensive, splashy FA contract.
Nobody wants to be the next Dallas Keuchel or the next Xavier Nady on the cusp of a $15M+ AAV pay day and then it just doesn’t happen. IF you’ve got the money in hand, don’t risk the biscuit, etc.
The only guys I see pulling off their goal are consistent dependable types that were underpaid for a while, got paid fairly but had a depressed market for whatever reason, like J.D. Martinez now, or Adrian Beltre converting a 1 year/$8M bridge deal into 5 years/$90M, but even then, I think Beltre was a guy smart enough to know he could push for, get $18M AAV and if he was never paid $25M in a single season or something insane, he’d always be viewed as cost effective or worth his paycheck. I theorize at least.
You forgot jeff Samardzija. they overpaid him by 85 mil dollars
I would never opt out of that contract. I’d have to be pitching light years better than I was when I signed it. That kind of money will have you living the high life for life
No way?
He was never going to opt out
Article is a misprint, they haven’t exercised Quintana’s option so it is not a given that he will be in the Cubs rotation.
Psh… to bad the Cubs cant opt out. Haha.
If he can be the same ace he was last year, then I’m happy he didn’t opt out.