Chicago Cubs: Will Yu Darvish suffer same fate as Jake Arrieta?
The Chicago Cubs should feel excited about signing Yu Darvish to anchor their rotation in 2018. But based on what the organization just witnessed with Jake Arrieta, how long will that excitement last?
Welcome to the Chicago Cubs, Yu Darvish!
Theo Epstein should feel proud for convincing a top-level ace to take his talents to Chicago. He accomplished that task once before in signing Jon Lester. Now he’s done it again, signing a pitcher known for striking out opposing hitters in his sleep.
Darvish’s six-year, $126 million contract feels like a bargain. After all, other top-tier pitchers have received $200 million-plus contracts in prior off-seasons.
Whether that bargain of a contract lives up to every penny remains to be seen. While his pitching talent is undeniable, Father Time still remains undefeated.
It’s always risky committing to a pitcher long-term when he’s over 30 years old. Eventually, the throwing arm just wears down independent of how many injuries a pitcher has suffered in the past.
At 31 years old, Darvish has plenty of wear and tear on his body, even undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2015. In addition, he’s spent plenty of time on the DL recovering from various nagging injuries over the course of his five-year career.
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While Darvish hasn’t seen any drastic slippage in his pitching performance to date despite those injuries, it’s fair to look at another cautionary tale: a tale the Cubs have witnessed first-hand.
Jake Arrieta, the former Cubs’ ace, took the league by storm in 2015, blowing 95 mph fastballs by the best hitters in the game with sheer ease.
Fast-forward two seasons and two more years on his arm later, and Arrieta was no longer the dominant pitcher who won the 2015 Cy Young Award.
Age catches up with everyone sooner or later, often sooner if you’re a pitcher. Prior to last season, Arrieta had pitched two consecutive seasons without missing time due to injury. Yet, despite being in fantastic physical shape, his performance on the mound took a nose-dive largely because of diminished velocity.
On the plus side, Darvish made 31 starts last season. That dependability is what the Cubs organization hopes to get on a consistent basis.
Next: Yu Darvish drastically improves pitching staff
But what if Darvish’s performance takes a turn for the worst early in his Cubs career? It’s entirely possible, given what we’ve just witnessed with Arrieta.
Maybe it doesn’t happen right away, and maybe things go differently for Darvish. The two are, after all, different players. But there may be warning signs of time taking a toll on Darvish as early as this upcoming season.