Yu Darvish has been more frequently connected to the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the Cleveland Indians are sounding like a dark horse candidate to trade for the right-hander.
As we head into the final hours before the non-waiver trade deadline, Yu Darvish remains one of the top starting pitchers available on the market. The Los Angeles Dodgers have been the team most heavily linked to the Texas Rangers right-hander, but they’re reportedly facing increasing competition from the Cleveland Indians.
Yesterday, Jon Morosi of MLB.com reported that Cleveland had indeed talked to Texas about Darvish, confirming earlier speculation by the Dallas Morning News‘ Evan Grant. This morning, Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio added that the Indians have discussed a deal for Darvish that would potentially include top prospect Francisco Mejia.
That would be a bold move for a rental player, even one that could make as much of an impact as Darvish, and would signal Cleveland’s intention to make a serious run at another World Series appearance. With the Houston Astros looking like the undisputed class of the American League, adding Darvish would make the Tribe a much tougher opponent to face in a playoff scenario.
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However, Mejia’s stock has risen considerably this season. In MLB Pipeline’s midseason rankings, the 21-year-old catcher registered as the #16 overall prospect in baseball. (Before the start of the season, he came in at #40.) He’s been tearing it up for Double-A Akron this year, slashing .317/.367/.520 with 10 home runs and 36 RBI in 68 games. Any way you look at it, Mejia would be a nice return for the Rangers in exchange for a couple months of Darvish.
Darvish’s 2017 numbers aren’t quite where we’re used to seeing them, but his name and reputation still carry a lot of weight. The soon-to-be 31-year-old owns a 4.01 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 3.29 K/BB ratio over 137 innings, although those figures took a beating with his last start (3.2 IP, 10 ER vs. Miami).
If Darvish is traded by 4:00 pm ET today – as many sources are saying is probable – the Dodgers still feel like the most likely landing spot. The Indians are riding a ton of momentum with nine wins in their last 10 to give them a two-game lead in the AL Central, but their top prospect (and one of the top minor leaguers in the game) is a high price to pay for a pitcher they almost surely won’t be able to re-sign in the offseason anyway.
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While Darvish would make its rotation even better alongside the likes of Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco, starting pitching isn’t exactly a desperate need for Cleveland: Its starters sport a 4.17 ERA, good for ninth in MLB. The Tribe can probably find another arm more comfortably within its preferred price range. That said, deadline day is always full of surprises, so stay tuned.