Yu Darvish Reportedly on Cubs' Radar as Potential Trade Target

MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported Friday that the Chicago Cubs have emerged as a suitor for Texas Rangers starting pitcher Yu Darvish.

The report comes on the heels of a report from Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan that the Rangers are starting to gauge interest in Darvish on the trade market.

Chicago has had an up-and-down season on the heels of winning the World Series last year, but it finally appears to be back on track.

The Cubs are winners of six in a row, and they enter play Friday trailing the Milwaukee Brewers by just one game in the NL Central.

They were already proactive in improving their starting rotation with the acquisition of Jose Quintana from the Chicago White Sox, and adding Darvish to the mix would give them another ace-caliber hurler.

Darvish is 6-8 with a 3.45 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 131 strikeouts in 125.1 innings so far. He was also named an All-Star for the fourth time in his MLB career.

The 30-year-old veteran is set to become a free agent during the offseason, which means he would be a rental like closer Aroldis Chapman was for the Cubs last season.

Chicago gave up a top-flight prospect in Gleyber Torres to get Chapman, but the move paid off in the form of a World Series title.

The Cubs are 15th in Major League Baseball with a starters' ERA of 4.47. While the talent is there in the form of Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks and John Lackey, all of them have struggled to some degree.

Darvish has largely been on his game, and he would give the Cubbies the rotation depth needed to make a run in October.