Theo Epstein: World Series Issues Helped Cubs Sign Yu Darvish To Six-Year Deal

Theo Epstein has nearly explicitly stated that Yu Darvish’s struggles during the 2017 World Series may have played a major role in the Chicago Cubs signing him this week.

Yu Darvish Cubs deal news

The 31-year-old Japanese right-hander inked a six-year, $126 million deal with the 2016 national champions.

The Cubs didn’t truly heed the 3.1 innings and nine runs Darvish surrendered to the Houston Astros over two starts for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Fall Classic.

“I felt bad for him in the World Series, but I also felt it might be an opportunity if other teams overreacted,” Cubs president Epstein said during a Tuesday press conference. “We know there’s more to Yu Darvish than what happened in the World Series.”

“First of all, there were a lot of reasons for what happened … from the possibility of tipping pitches, the difficulty with the baseballs and then the Astros were red-hot. They won the World Series for a reason, but I don’t think we would be doing our job if we evaluated based on a two-game sample. He’s been over here for six years. He’s proven himself as an elite pitcher.”

Darvish not only agreed with the criticism he received following his performance last fall, he admitted he felt like he could have played much better throughout the entire season.

“There are a lot of articles that I’ve read pointing out what I did wrong, but I did well in the [previous] five games, and also it’s not just about the World Series games,” Darvish said through an interpreter. “There were parts of the whole 2017 season that I could fix. That’s what I’d like to take away.”

Darvish and the Cubs have reportedly been working on a deal for quite some time.

“Today I am honored to be with a wonderful organization as the Chicago Cubs,” said the veteran ace, who previously played for the Texas Rangers and the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of the Japanese league before playing just one season with the Dodgers.

A four-time All-Star, Darvish is 56-42 with a 3.42 ERA during his career, and led the American League with 277 strikeouts in 2013 with the Rangers. Darvish was also a two-time Pacific League MVP (2007, 2009) while playing in Japan.

“He’s really matured,” Epstein said. “Yu was our primary target. … He’s the pre-eminent strikeout pitcher of our generation.”

Incentives can increase the total package of Darvish’s contract to $150 million. The Cubs reportedly pushed for a sixth year.

ARLINGTON, TX – JUNE 08: Yu Darvish #11 of the Texas Rangers throws in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Globe Life Park in Arlington on June 8, 2016 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Rick Yeatts/Getty Images)