Fansided

MLB Trade Deadline 2017: 5 best spots for Yu Darvish

By Joshua Sadlock

ARLINGTON, TX - JULY 04: Yu Darvish #11 of the Texas Rangers throws second inning against the Boston Red Sox at Globe Life Park in Arlington on July 4, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Rick Yeatts/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - JULY 04: Yu Darvish #11 of the Texas Rangers throws second inning against the Boston Red Sox at Globe Life Park in Arlington on July 4, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Rick Yeatts/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next

The Texas Rangers have been adamant about not trading ace Yu Darvish, but maybe they should start thinking about it.

Two years removed from Tommy John, Texas Rangers All-Star right-hander Yu Darvish is back to a full workload with no restrictions. That’s a mark in his favor entering his first offseason as a free agent. Darvish is 6-8 on the year with a 3.45 ERA while averaging over six innings per start.

The Rangers continue to slide below .500, and their playoff hopes are in serious jeopardy. They are by no means out of the postseason picture, but will have to settle for a wild card with the Houston Astros running away with the AL West. As the standings currently sit, the Rangers are only 2.5 games back of the second AL Wild Card, but have four teams ahead of them. It is a very crowded race this year.

Texas has given no indication that they plan to hold Darvish up on the trade market for bids, but it’s time to start thinking about punting on the 2017 season. The Rangers have flaws this year that cannot be addressed by buying at the deadline. It’s hard to justify selling with Adrian Beltre’s career entering its final years, but the Rangers have a chance to pull off a smaller rebuild like the New York Yankees did last year, setting themselves up to win again in 2018. If Darvish does become available, every contender in the league will take notice, but these five teams make the most sense.

5. Seattle Mariners

Even if the Rangers do trade Darvish, they will figure to bid on him in free agency. Both sides have a strong working relationship, and the Rangers can clearly lay out their plan to the ace before trading him. Under those conditions, trading him to a division rival may not be completely out of the question.

The Mariners will be one of the more dangerous teams in the second half as they have finally gotten healthy. They are riding a five-game winning streak and have jumped over the Rangers in the standings. Making a trade to help a division rival get into the playoffs is a tough sell, but the Rangers need to make sure they get good value for Darvish if their season continues heading in the wrong direction.

Seattle has multiple top-100 prospects to offer, and Jerry Dipoto may not shy away from trading them if he thinks he can end his team’s playoff drought that stretches all the way back to 2001.

Home/MLB Trade Rumors