Chicago Cubs right-hander Yu Darvish will not opt out of the remaining four years and $81 million remaining on his contract, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com:
"This organization is perfect for me."
Source: Darvish will not opt out of contract with Cubs. More: https://t.co/MCKVIy7Xzh via @MLB
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) October 31, 2019
Darvish has said that Chicago feels like home for him and that he is comfortable within the organization:
At the end of last season, Darvish described the Cubs as the “perfect” environment for both him and his family.
“My kids and my wife love Chicago, especially the kids,” Darvish said. “They only care about the Cubbies.”
“This organization is perfect for me,” Darvish said. “I like Chicago, the city. And the people are nice. And this organization lets me do whatever I want, so I'm so comfortable.”
The Cubs signed Darvish to a six-year, $126 million deal prior to the start of the 2018 season. Darvish would make just eight starts before undergoing elbow surgery that ended his season.
Darvish got off to yet another rocky start in the first couple months of 2019, but found his groove in a hurry. The veteran posted a 2.76 ERA and 13.0 K/9 after the All-Star break while walking just seven hitters in 81 2/3 innings, the lowest walk rate among qualified pitchers during that stretch.
Chicago's rotation was somewhat underwhelming this past season, but Darvish showed signs of being the ace the Cubs had signed him to be. Outside of a high HR/9 rate, he really had few flaws in the second half and dominated opposing hitters (.612 OPS against).
The Cubs need better performances from their starters in 2020, and a motivated Yu Darvish could help galvanize the rest of the staff.
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