Cubs Sign Yu Darvish To 6-Year, $126M Deal

CHICAGO, IL — With spring training less than a week away, the Chicago Cubs have signed pitcher Yu Darvish to a six-year deal worth $126 million in guaranteed money, ESPN reports Saturday. The sought-after free agent now joins an impressive starting rotation that will likely include Kyle Hendricks, Jon Lester and Jose Quintana.

Darvish's new contract could pay him as much as $150 million if he reaches certain incentives, the report stated. The deal also includes a no-trade and an opt-out clause, the report added.

The 31-year-old right-hander began last season with the Texas Rangers before he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in July. With the Dodgers, he beat the Cubs in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series in October.

But Darvish's performance in the World Series was less impressive. He lost both games he started against the Houston Astros, including a Game 7 outing in which he allowed eight earned runs and lasted only 3⅓ innings.

The four-time All-Star had a 10-12 record and a 3.86 ERA in 31 starts with the Rangers and Dodgers in 2017. He is 56-42 with a 3.42 ERA in his career, averaging 11 strikeouts per nine innings, the most in league history for pitchers with more than 100 career starts.

Darvish also has been especially effective against NL Central teams. He has a 2.42 ERA and has not given up more than three earned runs against opponents in that division, including the postseason, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

The deal is the fourth free-agent contract worth $100 million to be offered by the Cubs, according to ESPN Stats & Information. That's second all-time behind the New York Yankees, which has signed players to six such contracts.

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Pitcher Yu Darvish (Photo by Harry How | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images)