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Report: Nationals interested in Arrieta after Darvish signing

Ezra Shaw / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The free-agent dominoes continued to tumble when Yu Darvish signed with the Chicago Cubs over the weekend, so attentions have turned to the next big thing: Jake Arrieta.

Darvish's signing effectively ends Arrieta's tenure in Chicago, confirming he'll don a different jersey come Opening Day. He's been linked to plenty of teams, but the Washington Nationals have again emerged as a suitor, though they're looking at other free-agent starters as well, MLB.com's Jon Morosi reports.

The Nationals first joined the fray in mid-December, but no traction has taken hold.

Related: Cubs reportedly called Arrieta with last-minute offer similar to Darvish deal

If the Nationals land Arrieta, they would possess baseball's most formidable rotation as he would join two reigning Cy Young Award finalists in Max Scherzer (who took home the hardware) and Stephen Strasburg.

The offers Arrieta has received so far may not have been to his liking. Some teams are reportedly interested in the 31-year-old right-hander on a short-term deal worth a higher annual salary than he would get on a longer term.

The Nationals should expect plenty of opposition on the Arrieta market as the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers have been linked to him and several offers have already landed at his feet.

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