Report: Twins have made offer to Darvish
The Minnesota Twins' pursuit of Yu Darvish appears to be shifting into high gear.
Minnesota has reportedly extended a formal contract offer to the pitcher, Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 told podcast "The Scoop" on Wednesday.
The proposed deal is believed to be four or five years in length, reports Wolfson, though exact financial terms aren't known.
The 31-year-old right-hander is apparently drawing interest from at least seven teams despite the slow-moving free-agent market, and is reportedly weighing multiple offers worth over $100 million. However, until Wednesday, only one other interested team - the Milwaukee Brewers - had reportedly made an offer.
Darvish apparently still hopes to match Johnny Cueto's six-year, $130-million deal from 2016, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. However, at this point, it seems that Darvish has only received five-year offers; the Twins allegedly aren't willing to give him six years, according to Wolfson.
Though multiple teams are chasing him, Darvish would reportedly prefer to re-sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers or jump to the New York Yankees. Both those teams would likely have to clear room under the luxury tax to sign him.
Related - Report: Darvish delay due to a number of factors
Minnesota has been searching for pitching all winter following its surprising appearance in the AL wild-card game, and the team's need for starters was heightened after Ervin Santana's finger injury. While Darvish remains the first choice, the team is reportedly still in regular contact with free agents Alex Cobb and Lance Lynn, according to Wolfson.
The Twins have also apparently shown some interest in free-agent southpaw Jaime Garcia.