Texas Rangers trade rumors: Yu Darvish could be moved

Texas Rangers trade rumors: Yu Darvish is a free agent at the end of the season, and while the Texas Rangers want to keep Darvish beyond this season, they are not likely to reach an agreement on a contract extension without Darvish testing the waters.

And thus, as the Rangers are in the midst of a five game losing streak that has them falling out of the Wild Card race, Jeff Passan says that the Rangers are reaching out to teams to gauge interest in Darvish, should the Rangers sell. Jon Morosi writes that the Cubs have inquired about the Rangers’ righthander, as they have moved back into strong contention with a hot start to the second half at the same time the Rangers have been fading.

This doesn’t mean, of course, that Darvish is getting dealt. The Rangers could rebound and go on a hot streak, which would have Texas opting not to sell. And given the desire to re-sign Darvish, and their ability to make him a qualifying offer at season’s end, Texas would likely be fine with hanging on to Darvish if they don’t get a very strong trade offer for him. But Passan says the overtures allow the Rangers to gauge the market while seeing how things play out over the next week, so they can move quickly should they decide to sell.

The Cubs depleted a lot of their farm system in deals over the last year, and so you would think that the Rangers would be focusing on someone like Ian Happ if the Cubs were to seriously get in the mix. The Los Angeles Dodgers have Walker Buehler and Alex Verdugo among their prize prospects, and I suspect either player would get the Rangers’ interest, while the Yankees could dangle Gleyber Torres, who was acquired by the Yankees at the trade deadline last year for Aroldis Chapman (who, of course, was a pending free agent who re-signed with the team that traded him).

But perhaps the most intriguing possibility would be the Milwaukee Brewers, who have a lot of prospects to deal, and who are looking to fight off the Cubs in the N.L. Central. Getting Darvish would give the Brewers a legitimate #1 starter to front their rotation, and keep Darvish away from the Cubs. And the Brewers could probably use some catching help, as well...maybe Darvish and Jonathan Lucroy could lead to Lewis Brinson coming back to Texas?