Minnesota Twins: 2017 MLB Winter Meetings recap
Twins in on Darvish, but his market is heating up
Arguably the biggest news of the Winter Meetings for the Twins was that they are making a strong push for Yu Darvish. Of course, this isn’t exactly a surprise considering it’s been rumored much over the last few weeks. That being said, Minnesota looks to be getting some help in the recruitment process.
Chris Gimenez has been in contact with Yu Darvish, filling him in on "all Minnesota has to offer." #mntwins GM Thad Levine was already a major selling point for ex-#Rangers star: "There's a lot of trust," Gimenez said. https://t.co/Z0qiIC1QeC
— Mike BerardinoNDI (@MikeBerardino) December 12, 2017
While this may not seem like a big deal, Chris Gimenez actually was Yu Darvish’s catcher for stints with the Texas Rangers in 2014 and 2015. So, the two have developed quite a strong bond. Not to mention, Thad Levine helped bring Darvish to the Rangers from Japan, so there’s trust there with the Twins general manager.
Related Story: Twins should stay away from Yu Darvish!
On a side note, Gimenez isn’t currently on the roster and is a free agent, so it’s interesting that the catcher is strongly advocating for him to join the Twins. Yet, I’d take that as a sign he really wants to return to Minnesota and if Darvish indeed signs a big deal with the Twins, it’s a good bet he’ll return as the backup catcher.
Word I’m hearing is Darvish Derby is just getting started. Would help if Cobb, Lynn or Arrieta signed first. https://t.co/phebkFr7HV
— Mike BerardinoNDI (@MikeBerardino) December 13, 2017
Nevertheless, Mike Berardino reports the Darvish steam is just getting started, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that a deal wasn’t struck over the meetings. I mean, it’s hard to blame a free agent for waiting it out some and let the teams fight it out for his services. In other words, the competition will only drive his price up.
As one of the consensus top-two pitchers on the market, he’s not going to come cheap. As matter of fact, he’s probably going to get overpaid. In my view, the Twins would be wise to strongly look at trading for Gerrit Cole or Chris Archer, players they are reportedly interested in, instead of signing Darvish to a huge $100-plus deal. The risk of such a deal could come back to haunt the Twins like the Joe Mauer deal has over the years.