The Chicago Cubs may be thinking big. Real big.
Cubs president Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer met with free-agent pitcher Yu Darvish in Dallas on Monday and it appears things well went.
Darvish said he had a "very good meeting" with the Cubs on Monday, according to ESPN, who translated a statement he released on Twitter in Japanese.
During the three-hour meeting, Darvish apparently showed up without a translator so he could sharpen his English. The face-to-face apparently left him "very tired," but he said will continue to "work hard again tomorrow speaking English."
The 31-year-old right-hander is the top starting pitcher available in free agency, after posting a 3.86 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 10.1 strikeout-per-nine rate last season. He's already received reported interest from the Houston Astros, while the Minnesota Twins are making him "a priority."
After spending his entire MLB career with the Texas Rangers, the four-time All-Star pitched well for the Los Angeles Dodgers after a July trade, posting a 3.44 ERA and 3.38 FIP across 49 2/3 innings.
He was memorably torched by the Astros in two World Series starts, however, allowing eight earned runs in 3 1/3 innings.
