This article references Addison Russell, Adrian Beltre, Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist, Chase Utley, Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager, Elvis Andrus, Javier Baez, Justin Turner, Kris Bryant, Logan Forsythe, Mike Napoli, Yu Darvish and more! One great way to identify sleepers and busts is to take advantage of any biases that may impact the community's perception of a player. For example, older players are frequently bargains on draft day because owners assume that they're going to collapse. Adrian Beltre of the Texas Rangers seems to fit into this category so far this draft season. Postseason performance can also have an effect on a player's perceived value even though October doesn't count in fantasy. Some owners were probably c[...]Keep on reading: Champ or Chump - Adrian Beltre and Yu Darvish

This article references Jon Lester, Jose Quintana, Kyle Hendricks, Tyler Chatwood, Yu Darvish and more! The first domino finally dropped in what has been an abnormally slow off-season for free-agent signings, as Yu Darvish agreed to a six-year, $126 million contract with the Chicago Cubs. The top free agent starting pitcher this offseason, Darvish will join Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Jose Quintana and Tyler Chatwood in a potent Cubs rotation. Pitching in the National League with the Dodgers last year, Darvish posted a 3.44 ERA and 1.148 WHIP — both lower than his marks pitching for the Rang[...]Keep on reading: Fantasy Implications - Yu Darvish to the Cubs

This article references Jake Arrieta, Yu Darvish and more! Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports that the Chicago Cubs reached out to former Cub and free-agent starting pitcher Jake Arrieta prior to signing Yu Darvish to a six-year deal. Arrieta was one of the best pitchers during his time with the Cubs, but it appears there was no deal that both he and the Cubs could agree on. Heyman notes the Brewers, Nationals, Phillies, Twins and Cardinals as possible suitors for the right-hander. [...]Keep on reading: Cubs Reached Out To Jake Arrieta Before Signing Yu Darvish

This article references Yu Darvish and more! Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Yu Darvish has a full no-trade clause for the beginning of his contract, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports. Heyman reports that the contract will then allow for his no-trade clause to extend to 12 teams in the second half of his deal, seemingly after his opt-out clause is removed after the 2019 season. The Cubs have a similar deal with Jason Heyward, who signed an eight-year, $184 million contract before the 2016 season. Darvish signed a six-year, $126 million c[...]Keep on reading: Yu Darvish Has Full No Trade Clause For Beginning Of Deal

This article references Yu Darvish and more! Free agent starting pitcher Yu Darvish signed with the Chicago Cubs, sources tell Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. According to Rosenthal, this is a six-year, $126 million deal with options that would bring the total value of the contract to $150 million. This could be the first domino to fall in the starting pitcher market, with Jake Arrieta, Alex Cobb, and Lance Lynn soon to sign after Darvish set the market. Darvish finished 10-12 with a 3.86 ERA last season (pitching with the Rangers and Dod[...]Keep on reading: Yu Darvish Signs With Cubs

This article references Yu Darvish and more! Jon Heyman reports that the Milwaukee Brewers have made free-agent starting pitcher Yu Darvish an offer in the $100 million-plus range. Heyman also notes that the Twins have offered a five-year deal to Darvish, which would likely be worth $100 million-plus. According to Heyman, there's "reason to believe" Darvish might prefer to return to one of his former clubs, the Rangers or Dodgers, or sign with the Cubs. Mark Feinsand also notes in the same article that Darvish may prefer to remain in a big[...]Keep on reading: Yu Darvish Has Offers From Twins And Brewers

This article references Yu Darvish and more! Free-agent starting pitcher Yu Darvish has struck out 29.7 percent of the batters he's faced in his career, which is the highest rate in history for a starter with at least 500 innings, ahead of Chris Sale (29.2 percent), Stephen Strasburg (29.0 percent) and Randy Johnson (28.6 percent). Darvish is only behind Max Scherzer (30.4 percent) in that category since his debut in 2012. Darvish's 27.3 percent K rate in 2017 was the lowest since his rookie year, but he still was tied for 11th among quali[...]Keep on reading: Yu Darvish's Strikeout Rate Is Impressive

This article references Yu Darvish and more! MLB.com is reporting that the Chicago Cubs are in the best position to land free-agent starting pitcher Yu Darvish. Among the teams still in on Darvish, aside from the Cubs, are the Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins. Darvish has been rumored to be holding out hope that the Dodgers or Yankees can clear space to add him, but at this time it does not appear that is going to happen. The Cubs would be able to offer Darvish both a winning culture and big market and[...]Keep on reading: Cubs Appear Best-Positioned To Land Yu Darvish

This article references Yu Darvish and more! Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said it's unlikely that the team will sign free-agent starter pitcher Yu Darvish or any of the other big-name free-agent pitchers. "We've maintained contact with Darvish, but I think it's unlikely we'll bring in one of the upper-end pitchers," Daniels said. Darvish went 6-9 with a 4.01 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 9.7 K/9 in 22 starts for Texas last year before being dealt to the Dodgers at the trade deadline. The Japanese right-hander looked terribly in the [...]Keep on reading: Rangers Unlikely To Reunite With Yu Darvish

This article references Yu Darvish and more! Free agent starting pitcher Yu Darvish may have better offers, but Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports thinks that he may pick the Cubs for other reasons than money. Heyman says that the Brewers in particular may be offering more money than Chicago, but that there are other reasons that Darvish would pick the Cubs. He says that the Cubs are a very attractive team/organization, and Chicago is a great city, so it is entirely possible they win this. The Twins, Yankees, Dodgers, and Rangers are also in on D[...]Keep on reading: Yu Darvish May Not Be All About The Money