When Yu Darvish signed with the Texas Rangers out of Japan, he arrived with plenty of expectations placed on his shoulders. The right-hander was an All-Star in each of his first three seasons, but missed 2015 due to Tommy John surgery.
The Rangers twice reached the postseason with Darvish, never advancing beyond the American League Division Series. His time with the organization came to close in July, when the Los Angeles Dodgers struck a deal to bolster their starting rotation.
When Clayton Kershaw and Darvish crossed paths at the 2017 MLB All-Star Game in Miami, the Dodgers ace said to his counterpart that he’d see him in a few weeks. In Darvish, Los Angeles had the right-handed complement to Clayton Kershaw that lacked since Zack Greinke signed a record deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Darvish further solidified a rotation that boasted Rich Hill and Alex Wood, in addition to a three-time Cy Young Award winner. The thought process was Kershaw would not be required to start on short rest, as he’d done in each postseason since 2013.
Although Darvish was stellar in his first two playoff starts, a pair of outings in the World Series factored heavily into the Dodgers failing to end their championship drought. Aside from the bumps in the road, the 31-year-old enjoyed his time in Los Angeles.
“Since I came to Major League Baseball, like last three years I’ve been struggling to re-find my passion for the baseball,” Darvish said through a translator. “And then I came here and I found it again.
“And I felt more that I can help the team to win. I started feeling more, and my passion came back and I couldn’t do it. But at the same time I was able to set my goal for the next time by this experience.”
Darvish went on to express a desire to re-sign with the Dodgers. He and Jake Arrieta reside as the top starting pitchers available in free agency this winter.
But even with that, the Dodgers have shown a hesitation to make a significant financial commitment to an aging pitcher. They shied away from Jon Lester and Max Scherzer, but did remain in the hunt for Greinke until the Diamondbacks submitted a stunning offer.
Moreover, the Dodgers re-signed Hill a three-year, $48 million contract last offseason. They certainly can stand to reinforce their rotation this winter, but whether that will be in the form of Darvish is very much uncertain.
