Yu Darvish Rumors: Phillies Reportedly Considering Pursuing SP

The Philadelphia Phillies reportedly have free-agent pitcher Yu Darvish on their radar.

On Wednesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the Phillies were "checking in" on the right-hander "to assess respective markets to see if deal makes sense." Rosenthal noted the Phillies probably will not be the high bidder for Darvish but "might jump" if a potential contract "fell into their range."

The Phillies have been in rebuilding mode recently, missing the playoffs the last six seasons. A veteran presence like Darvish could theoretically be the type of addition to help them get over the hump in the National League East, especially given the struggles of the starting rotation in 2017.

Philadelphia finished a mere 21st in the league in starting pitching ERA, per ESPN.com, explaining in part its 66-96 record.

However, the Phillies are far from the only team interested in Darvish. Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reported there is "at least one five-year offer on the table" and noted the Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers are all interested.

According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, "Darvish is increasingly likely to sign" this week, and Jay Cohen of the Associated Press reported the Cubs were actively discussing a deal with the pitcher. Chicago's interest makes sense considering it is in the middle of a competitive window and will lose Jake Arrieta to another team in free agency unless it re-signs him this offseason.

There are some risks with Darvish, seeing how he missed the 2015 campaign after elbow surgery and allowed nine runs in 3.1 innings in Los Angeles' World Series loss to the Houston Astros.

However, he is one of the top prizes on the market as a four-time All-Star and demonstrated his talent with a 3.44 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 61 strikeouts in 49.2 innings for the Dodgers last season after they acquired him via trade from the Rangers.

He has topped 200 strikeouts in three of his five seasons and sports a career 3.42 ERA. If the Phillies did sign him, he would figure to jump right to the front of their rotation.