Is Yu Darvish More Likely to be Traded? A Cubs Insider Believes it to be True
I have seen reports that the Chicago Cubs are floating around the idea of trading Yu Darvish. These started back in early November and continued, although quietly, through December. I mostly ignored those rumors as I saw guys like Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Willson Contreras, and even Anthony Rizzo as more likely trade candidates than Darvish.
But the rumors persisted. In searching the news, insiders, and other sources, I continued to see Darvish brought up in multiple team’s rumor bins. Now, this is December and this is Major League Baseball, so trust it if you will.
But Wednesday Jesse Rogers had a *bombshell* that he spoke about on ESPN 1000 while joining Kap and Hood. When he joined he declared, that from what he is hearing, Darvish is more likely to be traded than Kris Bryant.
“If I’m to believe the things I’ve heard both publicly, and that’s the Kris Bryant Stuff, and privately over the last couple of days, and I’m starting to believe it, here’s my bold prediction. I think there’s a better chance Kris Bryant is on the Opening Day roster than Yu Darvish,” Rogers told David Kaplan and Jonathan Hood. “I keep hearing Yu Darvish’s name is out there in the trade market. I think the phrase ‘Everyone is available’ is actually true for this team.
“I don’t think Baez will be traded, but truly everybody is available and I would put now Yu Darvish ahead of Kris Bryant. It’s because of what you said before, Kap, they aren’t hearing what they wanna hear for a Kris Bryant trade. You certainly can get some value back in Yu Darvish.”
ESPN 1000
There’s quite a bit to unpack here.
Tuesday I reported Scott Boras’ comments on Bryant, and suggested that it sounded like KB will remain with the Cubs through the 2021 season. Turns out, I wasn’t alone as Bruce Levine has also taken the comments this way.
To hear Scott Boras talk about the subject, Kris Bryant is going to remain with the #Cubs in 2021.
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) December 16, 2020
"They have great plans for him," Boras says.https://t.co/ybbPJSSNvM via @MLBBruceLevine pic.twitter.com/pLahLxWRHK
Boras suggests that the Cubs have “great plans” for Bryant in 2021, which could be taken several ways, but listening to the full comment it seems like the Cubs are telling Boras that his client will remain with the team.
“The Cubs obviously know KB very well,” Boras said. “And Jed Hoyer knows him very well. They have great plans for him. We’ve talked to him about what his role will be, a very important role going forward in 2021. He is a huge core of the team.”
Now, we could see Bryant take the same path as fellow Las Vegas native, Bryce Harper, and leave in free agency to find a lucrative contract and home. But, it does seem that Boras does not discount the idea of Bryant remaining a Cub past 2021. Bryant and Boras have recently met to discuss his future, and while neither will show their cards just yet, Boras is quick to point out that the ball is in Jed’s court.
“We have been through a lot in 2020,” Boras said. “We understand that we are going to play a season. And that question (of where Bryant ends up) will likely be very clearly addressed at the end of 2021. We will know more of what Jed wants to do and also about the continue of Kris Bryant’s excellence in a baseball uniform.”
The Cubs have said that they are not discussing any extensions with any player, as of yet. Perhaps, once their roster has a little more polish on it and they understand what their payroll and finances might look like in 2021, they begin to have some of those discussions. But for Bryant, a deal for him is much more convoluted. Do you pay him for his 2015-2017 seasons where he led the National League in WAR? Or do you lean on the 2018 season that was slowed due to his shoulder injury or even the 2020 season where he (like many MLB superstars) performed well under their norms?
You certainly wouldn’t pay the .206 hitter from 2020 $25 million a season, but the guy that consistently tore up baseball from 2015-19 (excluding that 2018 year) was worth much more than that and would be a steal for $25 million a year.
I examined a Bryant comp, and it fit him perfectly, which should be a model for a potential Bryant contract. The problem is, if Bryant remains healthy in 2021, puts up his normal numbers, he’s worth much more than that proposed contract – regardless of what the boneheads in the Cubs fanbase says.
This is why a deal for KB is tough, and it is equally hard for the Cubs to receive necessary value in return if they wanted to trade him. Pair this with what Rogers is now saying and I can believe Bryant is more likely to be a Cub in 2021 than Darvish is. With Rogers getting more involved in national media, rubbing elbows with the likes of Ken Rosenthal, Buster Onley, Jon Heyman, and Jeff Passan; we should expect these guys to be passing intel amongst one another.
