Report: Yankees don't appear to be in hunt for Darvish

A desire to stay below the luxury-tax threshold could prevent New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman from making a major splash in the free-agent pitching pool.

Yu Darvish has been linked to the club in recent weeks, but it doesn't appear the Yankees are in the hunt for the star pitcher, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.

Cashman confirmed his interest in Darvish earlier this month, and acknowledged he had spoken to his agent. It was reported several days later that the Yankees believed they could sign the four-time All-Star for a reasonable price, and Darvish even admitted on his Twitter account that New York did make him an offer.

He still remains on the market, however, and has five other teams competing for his services. With so few top-tier free-agent arms available, and with so many teams bidding for Darvish, it doesn't appear the Yankees can sign him to a deal and remain under the tax without moving someone else. Trading Jacoby Ellsbury makes the most sense for New York, though it's not believed the veteran outfielder will waive his no-trade clause.

With Masahiro Tanaka, Luis Severino, Sonny Gray, CC Sabathia, and Jordan Montgomery on the roster, the Yankees don't have a glaring need in the rotation, so, rather than signing another starter, they could use the remaining budget to acquire help at either second or third base. The club has roughly $162 million in salary committed for 2018, according to Cots Baseball.