Houston Astros MLB Trade and Roster Rumors: Team Interested in Signing Free Agent Pitcher Yu Darvish
Free-agent starting pitcher Yu Darvish has reportedly met with the Houston Astros on Tuesday.
FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman was the first to report the news.
As a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Darvish was criticized for his poor performance in the 2017 World Series against the Astros so it's interesting to see Houston pursue him in free agency.
However, Darvish has always been a reliable pitcher and the Astros aren't going to let the only blemish in his résumé stop them from joining the mix for his signature.
"The extent of the Astros' interest is unknown and is a bit curious since they tattooed Darvish twice in the World Series (though there was a report in Sports Illustrated quoting an Astros player who said Darvish was tipping his pitches, which might actually help him since that's presumably correctable). Astros higher-up Nolan Ryan, the Hall of Fame pitcher, was Rangers CEO when they signed Darvish, though that was mostly the production of GM Jon Daniels, who still seems to have his eye on the Darvish market," Heyman said in his report.
Of course, the Astros aren't the only team chasing Darvish this offseason. The four-time All-Star has already met with Chicago Cubs executives on Monday, and the Minnesota Twins have made signing him one of their top priorities this offseason. The New York Yankees have also expressed their interest in signing him, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Meanwhile, previous reports have indicated that the Dodgers want to bring him back as well.
Interestingly, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Jeff Wilson has reported that Darvish is meeting Texas Rangers president of baseball operations/general manager Jon Daniels for dinner on Wednesday. However, they won't be discussing any business. Darvish played for the Texans before he was traded to the Dodgers before the trade deadline last season.
