How Yu Darvish's Back-to-Back World Series Duds Will Impact Free-Agent Worth

Yu Darvish is an ace. Someone is going to pay him accordingly. Let's get that out of the way.

In fact, Darvish and Jake Arrieta might be the only true aces on an otherwise muddled starting pitching market. Normally, that equals a straight line to a massive nine-figure contract.

There's a blemish on Darvish's resume, however, and it could impact his worth this winter as he tests free agency. We're speaking about his back-to-back dreadful World Series starts, which linger in the collective consciousness like dry champagne on the walls of the visitors' clubhouse at Dodger Stadium. 

Fair or not, the last image we all got of Darvish was of the right-hander failing spectacularly on the biggest stage after the Los Angeles Dodgers rented him for just such an occasion.

A quick recap: After coming to the Dodgers from the Texas Rangers in a trade-deadline swap for a package highlighted by power-hitting prospect Willie Calhoun, Darvish posted a 3.44 ERA in nine regular-season starts along with an impressive 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings.

He wasn't expected to be the club's No. 1 heading into the postseason; that title belonged to Clayton Kershaw. With lefty Rich Hill also on hand, all Darvish needed to do was be a solid supporting player.

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

He struck out seven and allowed one run in five innings in his division series start against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He followed that up with 6.1 innings of seven-strikeout, one-run ball against the Chicago Cubs in the National League Championship Series. The Dodgers won both games. 

Then the Fall Classic rolled around, and Darvish wilted like an autumn leaf under the glaring lights.

In his first start, in Game 3 at Minute Maid Park last Friday, he lasted a scant 1.2 innings against the Houston Astros and yielded six hits and four runs. The Dodgers lost, 5-3.

He got a crack at redemption in Game 7 on Wednesday, but this time surrendered five runs (four earned) in 1.2 frames as L.A. fell, 5-1.

Manager Dave Roberts gave Darvish as much rope as he could in the deciding contest and allowed him to face eventual World Series MVP George Springer with a runner on base in the second inning. Here was the result, in case you have short-term memory issues:

With that, Darvish's World Series ERA ballooned to 21.60. That's over the legal U.S. drinking age, which is fitting for the SoCal faithful.

Darvish has plenty going for him. Since crossing the Pacific from Japan in 2012, he's made four All-Star appearances, finished among the top 10 in Cy Young Award balloting twice and averaged 11 strikeouts per nine.

He's also 31 years old and missed the 2015 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, so there's risk as well as upside.

Nonetheless, it seemed a foregone conclusion Darvish would command a Fort Knox payday. Now, his World Series faceplant may move the money needle southward.

He won't be forced to settle for a scrub's salary. After he and Arrieta, the free-agent cupboard is stocked with second-tier options such as Lance Lynn, Andrew Cashner and Tyler Chatwood.

New York Yankees right-hander Masahiro Tanaka can opt out of his contract—as I argued he should—which would add another ace to the mix.

Regardless, Darvish will draw ample interest. MLB Trade Rumors posited a six-year, $160 million deal from the Cubs. Even if it's not the Cubbies who cut the check, that sounds about right, if a tad high.

A great World Series showing that guided the Dodgers to their first title since 1988 could have pushed Darvish even higher. Maybe he could have joined the rarefied $200 million club (four of those 10 are starting pitchers, according to Spotrac).

As MLBTR's Tim Dierkes wrote in making his salary projection, "Darvish recorded a mere 10 outs in his two brutal World Series starts for the Dodgers. With those ugly outings fresh in our minds, projecting him to receive the winter's largest contract creates cognitive dissonance."

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

No one will weep for Darvish, least of all grieving Dodgers fans. Missing out on a few million dollars—or even tens of millions—when you're going to get filthy rich regardless isn't cause for public mourning. 

This was a missed opportunity for one of the game's top hurlers, however—there are no two ways about it. 

"I had bad days and that means somebody else had a great day," Darvish said after Game 7, per David Waldstein of the New York Times. "I try to think of it that way, and sometimes it works. Maybe this time it didn't work because I let my teammates down."

As crass as it sounds, he probably let his agent and accountants down, too.

All statistics courtesy of Baseball Reference.