MLB notebook: Cubs reportedly land Darvish on $126M deal

[February 12, 2018]  The Chicago Cubs are set to sign free-agent pitcher Yu Darvish to a six-year, $126 million deal, according to multiple reports Saturday.

The deal is the richest of the offseason and could springboard other signings with less than two weeks to go before the start of spring training. Darvish could earn up to $150 million with incentives over the life of the contract, according to The Athletic, which was the first to report the signing.

Darvish, 31, joins a starting rotation that includes Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Jose Quintana and Tyler Chatwood. He is 56-42 with a 3.42 ERA in five big league seasons with the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers. The four-time All-Star also has started six postseason games, going 2-4 with a 5.81 ERA.

Last season, Darvish went 10-12 with a 3.86 ERA in 31 starts with the Rangers and Dodgers. He had 209 strikeouts in 186 2/3 innings. During his career, he has 1,021 strikeouts in 832 1/3 innings.

--Wally Moon, a former All-Star outfielder who was the 1954 National League Rookie of the Year, died on Friday in Bryan, Texas. He was 87.

Moon developed a level of fame during his seven-year stint with the Dodgers for the "Moon Shot" when the Dodgers played their home games at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

Moon was Rookie of the Year with the St. Louis Cardinals when he batted .304 with 12 home runs and 76 RBIs. He played five seasons with St. Louis before being traded to the Dodgers.

--Atlanta Braves pitcher Mike Foltynewicz and Oakland Athletics hurler Kendall Graveman each lost their salary arbitration cases against their respective clubs.

Foltynewicz will make $2.2 million instead of the $2.3 million he requested, while Graveman will make $2.36 million instead of $2.6 million. Foltynewicz's case with the Braves over a difference of $100,000 was the smallest gap debated over in a hearing since 1994.

With Saturday's rulings, players are down to a 7-6 advantage against teams in this year's hearings. A decision is pending for Cleveland Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer's case while nine other hearings are scheduled for next week.

--Field Level Media

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