Should the Yankees Make a Push for Yu Darvish?
The New York Yankees are struggling recently, and that could mean a deadline move is in order. Could the Bombers make a push for Yu Darvish?
Friday night’s extra-inning 2-1 victory for the Yankees over the Texas Rangers was chalk full of excitement and suspense, despite a complete lack of firepower and hitting by both sides.
Instead, fans were treated to an epic pitching duel between Masahiro Tanaka and Yu Darvish, two of the most successful pitchers in Japanese baseball history. The two have been the aces on their respective teams for years.
Tanaka gave up just three hits and struck out nine batters in eight innings, while Darvish gave up two hits and struck out 10 batters in seven innings of work.
Watching the two thoroughly dominate each and every batter they faced, one thought seemed to come to mind: Imagine what these two aces, considering both are pitching at their highest possible level, could do and would mean if they played for one single team?
Well, that idea isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds, and with the trade deadline fast approaching and Darvish set to become a highly sought-out free agent at the end of the season, the Yankees should consider trading for him and bolstering their starting rotation for a potential postseason run.
Darvish is set to become a free agent following the 2017 season, and his performance this year almost guarantees a massive deal, depending on the strength of the starting pitching market overall.
So far this season, Darvish is 6-5 with an American League seventh-best 3.12 ERA, along with 109 strikeouts, and a 1.069 WHIP.
His 109 strikeouts are the third-best in the A.L., and his 6.416 hits per nine innings also is good for third in the league behind Dallas Keuchel and Ervin Santana.
The Yankees have made it clear that they want to be under the luxury tax threshold after this season, meaning that shelling out a nine figure, multi-year deal for Darvish would be all but out of
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the question.
That would force the Yankees to consider a trade for the 30-year-old Darvish, and they certainly have the pieces inter minor league system to make that deal happen.
Players such as Clint Frazier, Gleyber Torres, Justus Sheffield, Chance Adams and Blake Rutherford would likely be automatically off the trading block, but one of the benefits of having such a deep farm system is the fact that the Yankees still have plenty of talented players to trade without touching their top prospects.
Players such as Jorge Mateo, Dustin Fowler, Albert Abreu, Mason Williams and Miguel Andujar are all great talents who the Yankees could package together for Darvish. Offer any combination of those options or any other top prospect and maybe throw in a veteran player, and it’s a proposal that the Rangers would at least listen to.
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It’s no secret that the Yankees need help when it comes to their pitching staff, and if they wish to make the playoffs and contend for a championship, adding a top-tier starter in Darvish would definitely improve their chances.
Luis Cessa isn’t the answer, Pineda has been inconsistent, Severino and Jordan Montgomery have a limited amount of innings they can pitch this season and who knows if C.C. Sabathia will be the same pitcher he was before his injury after he returns.
They have enough talented prospects to offer the Rangers, so it’s just a matter of whether or not the Yankees are interested in making a deal to begin with.
For a rotation featuring a good Tanaka, Luis Severino and Darvish, the Yankees will have to make the Rangers and offer they simply can’t refuse.