Cubs Rumors: Chicago in 'Active Talks' with Yu Darvish Amid Yankees Interest

The Chicago Cubs are reportedly engaged in "active talks" with free-agent starting pitcher Yu Darvish.

On Tuesday, Jay Cohen of the Associated Press reported the Cubs joined the Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees among the MLB clubs showing interest in one of the top players available on the open market.

Jerry Crasnick‏ of ESPN.com previously noted the starter has a five-year offer on the table from at least one team, but financial details of the ongoing Darvish sweepstakes are unclear.

The 31-year-old right-hander is coming off a 2017 season where he posted a 3.86 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with 209 strikeouts in 186.2 innings across 31 starts with the Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers.

His strikeout rate (11.04 K/9) since his debut season with Texas in 2012 ranks second in MLB among qualified starting pitchers, per FanGraphs.

Darvish would represent more of a luxury addition than a necessary upgrade for Chicago.

The team's projected rotation is already strong with Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Jose Quintana, Tyler Chatwood and Mike Montgomery. Signing the four-time MLB All-Star would likely move Montgomery back to a swing role between the rotation and bullpen.

It's unclear whether Darvish is close to an agreement with the Cubs or another team with less than two weeks until pitchers and catchers report to spring training.