We have a surprise entrant in the Yu Darvish sweepstakes.
According to Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic, the Philadelphia Phillies have looked into free agent pitcher Yu Darvish, and may become a factor if his market doesn’t develop as anticipated.
#Phillies checking in with Darvish and most of high-profile free agents, sources tell The Athletic. Idea is to assess respective markets to see if deal makes sense. Unlikely Phils would be high bidder, but if player fell into their range – preferably short-term – they might jump.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 24, 2018
The Phillies aren’t really contending or trying to quite yet, so this is a bit of a surprise. Still, they’re doing their due diligence on the market and hoping that he might take a short-term deal. Given that he reportedly has a five-year offer on the table already and steady interest from a number of teams, this seems unlikely, but it can’t hurt to check in.
