MLB Weekly Digest Feb. 12th Edition

Read Time:4 Minute, 32 Second

The previous week in MLB was about a club in the National League signing a free-agent starting pitcher, a third baseman remains in New York, but switches leagues and a pitcher in the American League will be sidelined a couple of months.

Chicago Cubs Ink Starting Pitcher Yu Darvish to Six-Year Deal

The Chicago Cubs have added a significant piece to their starting rotation by agreeing to a six-year, $126 million contract with starter Yu Darvish, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Again: Darvish to #Cubs, six years, $126M, pending physical, sources tell The Athletic. Chance to get to $150M range through incentives.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 10, 2018

The contract could increase up to $150 million if Darvish reaches incentives, but he would need to win multiple Cy Young awards for this to happen says, Rosenthal.

Sources: Chances of Darvish getting to $150M with #Cubs quite slim; would need to win multiple Cy Young awards. His guarantee is $126M over six years, making contract the longest and richest free-agent deal of off-season.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 10, 2018

The deal also includes an opt-out clause possibly after the second season, per Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.

A source says that Yu Darvish’s opt out with the #Cubs is “earlier” than three years into his contract. (That would lead me to believe it’s 2 years, but I don’t take anything for granted at this point).

— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) February 10, 2018

The Los Angeles Dodgers offer to Darvish was close to what Cubs gave him, but he opted to take his talents to Chicago, per Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.

dodgers were said to have offered in the same ballpark as cubs, but he picked chicago #darvish

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 10, 2018

The signing of Darvish is an excellent move for the Cubs. He posted 3.86 ERA last in 31 starts (186.1 innings) for the Texas Rangers and Dodgers with 209 strikeouts, a 3.83 FIP and 1.16 WHIP.

It marked the third time in his career that he fanned at least 200 batters in a season. Since Jake Arrieta is a free agent and the Cubs didn’t seem interested in bringing him back, going after Darvish made perfect sense.

There’s some risk with the right-hander as he missed the 2015 campaign and the first two months of the 2016 season due to undergoing Tommy John surgery.

However, he showed last year that he’s capable of being a reliable pitcher during the regular season.

He will need to figure things out in the postseason, as Darvish had a dreadful time in the World Series, posting a 21.60 ERA in two games.

The Cubs are in an excellent position to make the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year with a rotation that includes Darvish, Jon Lester, Jose Quintana, Kyle Hendricks and Tyler Chatwood.

New York Mets Sign Third Baseman Todd Frazier to Two-Year Deal

The New York Mets continued their busy offseason early this week, by inking third baseman Todd Frazier to a two-year, $17 million contract, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

#Mets in agreement with free-agent 3B Todd Frazier on two-year, $17M contract, sources tell The Athletic. Pending a physical.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 6, 2018

It’s a solid move by the Mets to add Frazier as he’s someone who can bring power to their lineup. He crushed 27 homers and had 76 RBIs split between the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees last season.

This was the fourth straight year in which Frazier had at least 27 home runs and more than 75 RBIs. He’s not lacking in the power department, but don’t expect Frazier to hit for a high average.

He has a career .245 batting average in seven seasons, and the highest average he has reached was hitting .273 in 2014 with the Cincinnati Reds.

The Mets should have a lineup capable of scoring runs at a decent rate in 2018 with Frazier, Jay Bruce, and Yoenis Cespedes.

Minnesota Twins Starting Pitcher Ervin Santana Out 10-12 Weeks Due to Finger Surgery

The Minnesota Twins will be short one pitcher going into the 2018 season as starter Ervin Santana will be out 10-12 weeks due to undergoing finger surgery this week, per a statement by the team.

The @Twins medical update on Ervin Santana. pic.twitter.com/RyxL03GzFF

— Dustin Morse (@morsecode) February 6, 2018

It’s tough losing a starting pitcher to injury, but it hurts much worse when that pitcher is a leader of the staff.

Santana led MLB with five complete games and three shutouts last year with a 3.28 ERA in 211.1 innings. That type of production is nearly irreplaceable, but a positive aspect is that the injury occurred before spring training got underway.

The current timetable would have Santana returning around the end of April at the earliest, which would sideline him for the first month of the season.

The Twins did try to sign Darvish, but he’s now a member of the Cubs. The club will focus on going after free agent starters Lance Lynn, Alex Cobb, and Arrieta.

It’s a significant loss for the Twins with Santana being injured when the season begins, but hopefully, they can add a pitcher to take his spot in the rotation.

About Post Author

Chris Lacey

Chris is a New Jersey native whose favorite sports team is the Arizona Diamondbacks. He previously attended Western New England College to study Sports Management. Chris has been following the Diamondbacks since he was 12. You can find him on Twitter at @aecanada12.

[email protected]

http://ngscsports.com