Cubs add Darvish, 7/1 to win Series
Following the signing of free agent starter Yu Darvish, here’s a look at the Cubs’ odds to win the 2018 World Series.
According to oddsmakers from online sports book YouWager, the Cubs are now 7/1 to win the 2018 World Series. Those odds are bested by only the Yankees, who are favored to win next season’s Fall Classic at 5/1. The Indians, Astros and Dodgers, meanwhile, are all 7/1, respectively.
On Saturday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the Cubs and Darvish came to an agreement on a six-year, $126 million contract. As of this writing, the deal is still pending a physical but the deal could run as high as $150 million with incentives. Darvish joins a stacked Chicago rotation that already includes World Series winner Jon Lester, ace Jose Quintana, Kyle Hendricks, and free agent addition Tyler Chatwood.
Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports also reports that Darvish can opt out after the second year of his agreed-upon contract. Chances are high that Darvish received less than he was shooting for on the open market so the opt-out will give him an opportunity to test the open market in a couple of years if he so desires.
Finally, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports that Darvish’s no-trade clause in his deal with the Cubs starts out as a full no-trade clause for part of the deal, then switches to a list of 12 teams. Even with a limited list towards the end of his contract, Darvish will still have plenty of say in where he winds up at the end of his six-year contract.