The long wait was well worth the pursuit for the Cubs, who agreed to terms Saturday with marquee free-agent pitcher Yu Darvish.
A cold, uncertain winter thawed four days before the team’s first workout in Mesa, Ariz., as the Cubs landed a four-time All-Star right-hander with a swing-and-miss repertoire without placing undue stress on their payroll.
Darvish, 31, will be guaranteed $126 million over the next six seasons with the chance to earn an additional $24 million in incentives. But his annual average salary of $21 million is well below what many forecasters projected.
The Cubs have loaded up on pitchers in free agency, with Darvish’s signing following those of Tyler Chatwood, Brandon Morrow, Drew Smyly and Steve Cishek in December.
The Cubs made an unsuccessful attempt to land Shohei Ohtani, a 23-year-old pitcher/outfielder phenom from Japan. But they took a deliberate approach with Darvish, who was projected by some to receive as much as $30 million annually.
The Cubs’ concession to Darvish, who missed all of 2015 after Tommy John surgery, was a lengthy contract. The signing is expected to be announced once Darvish passes a physical.
The Twins were among the teams interested in Darvish, who struck out 209 in 186 2/3 innings while going 10-12 with a 3.86 ERA in 31 starts with the Rangers and Dodgers last season. Darvish is 56-42 in five MLB seasons with 1,021 strikeouts in 832 1/3 innings over five major league seasons after pitching in In Japan, he was 93-38 with a 1.99 ERA in seven seasons for the Nippon Ham Fighters.
The addition of Darvish allows the Cubs to maintain a strong rotation in the wake of the almost certain departures of free agents Jake Arrieta and John Lackey. The rotation now comprises Darvish, Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Jose Quintana — who began the 2017 season as the White Sox’s ace — and Chatwood.
A December meeting between the Cubs and Darvish in Texas was confirmed by Darvish on his increasingly popular Twitter account, and it didn’t hurt that the Cubs signed catcher Chris Gimenez to a minor-league contract last month.
Gimenez caught 12 of Darvish’s 26 starts with the Rangers in 2014 and played for Cubs manager Joe Maddon and pitching coach Jim Hickey with the Rays in 2012-13.
The Cubs were interested in Darvish before the July 31 trade deadline but had multiple needs. They acquired left-hander Jose Quintana, left-handed reliever Justin Wilson and backup catcher Alex Avila in separate deals during the final 2 1/2 weeks of July.
Darvish, meanwhile was traded minutes before the deadline for three prospects from the talent-rich Dodgers.
The Cubs’ high opinion of Darvish was reinforced in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, when he allowed one run, six hits and a walk with seven strikeouts against the Cubs in 6 1/3 innings.
A source said Darvish’s deal includes an opt-out clause, but there will be plenty of incentive for him to help the Cubs return to the World Series. Darvish, who has pitched in three postseasons (2012, 2016-17), allowed five runs in 1 2/3 innings to the Astros in Game 7 of the 2017 World Series.
An unidentified Astros player told Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated that Darvish was tipping his pitches in Game 3 (when he allowed four runs on six hits in 1 2/3 innings) and Game 7.
But Darvish now has a chance to return to the World Series with a Cubs franchise that has made three consecutive trips to the NLCS and won the 2016 championship.
This is the third time in four offseasons the Cubs have made a major strike in free agency. They signed Lester to a six-year, $155 million contract before the 2015 season and outfielder Jason Heyward for eight years and $184 million before 2016.
But the likely departures of Arrieta, John Lackey and Jon Jay, along with Quintana’s team-friendly contact, gave the Cubs enough room to sign Darvish and not force them to shave payroll to stay under the luxury tax threshold.
In addition, the Cubs fortified their pitching staff without trading a young position player such as Kyle Schwarber, Ian Happ or Albert Almora Jr.
The Cubs’ base salary commitment to 19 players is about $158 million.
Twitter @MDGonzales
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