Source: Darvish, Cubs reach $126M, 6-year deal
CHICAGO » The winter-long dance is over. Yu Darvish is joining the Chicago Cubs.
Darvish has agreed to a $126 million, six-year contract with Chicago, giving the Cubs one of the deepest rotations in baseball and taking one of the top players off the slow-moving free agent market.
Darvish, 31, met with Cubs officials back in December and the sides remained in contact while the righthander listened to other potential suitors. Texas, Milwaukee, Minnesota and the Yankees also reportedly expressed some level of interest, but Chicago’s approach paid off with the agreement just days before the start of spring training.
A person with direct knowledge of the deal confirmed the contract to The Associated Press on Saturday on condition of anonymity because there was no official announcement.
Phils minor leaguer Geltz suspended
NEW YORK » Former Tampa Bay pitcher Steve Geltz and three other minor leaguers have been suspended for drug violations.
The penalties were announced Saturday by the commissioner’s office.
Geltz was banned 100 games after a third positive test for a drug of abuse. The 30-year-old righty was on the Phillies’ Triple-A roster.
In 2015, Geltz set a Rays record by retiring 32 straight batters. He last played in the majors in 2016.
Johnson shares lead
PEBBLE BEACH » Dustin Johnson overcame a sloppy back nine in the stiffening breeze by making a 10-foot birdie on the 18th hole at Pebble Beach for a 2-under 70 that gave him a share of the lead going into the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Given the conditions, the 70 at Pebble Beach felt like hard work.
Ted Potter Jr. shot a 62 at Monterey Peninsula and left wondering how much better it could have been. Potter, with virtually no one watching his round because the stars were at Pebble on Saturday, was 11 under with three holes to play, needing only one birdie and two pars for a 59. He bogeyed the last two holes, which at least was enough to tie for the lead.
Calcavecchia takes 2-shot lead
BOCA RATON, FLA. » Mark Calcavecchia birdied the last three holes to take a twostroke lead over Bernhard Langer into the final round of the PGA Tour Champions’ Boca Raton Championship.
Calcavecchia shot a 6-under 66 at The Old Course at Broken Sound, rebounding from bogeys on Nos. 14 and 15 with the late birdie run.
Meesawat in front
PERTH, AUSTRALIA » Thailand’s Prom Meesawat took a two-stroke lead after three rounds with a 5-under 67 while England’s Lee Westwood went from a tie for first place to being out of the World Super 6 tournament.
Westwood shot a thirdround 78 in the European Tour event to finish out of the top 24.
Venus, Vandeweghe give US 2-0 edge
ASHEVILLE, N.C. » Venus Williams and CoCo Vandeweghe won their singles matches to give the U.S. a 2-0 Fed Cup lead over the Netherlands in the bestof-5 event.
Williams beat Arantxa Rus 6-1, 6-4 in to improve her career singles record to 776-224.
Vandeweghe had to rally from a set and a break down to win her match 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3 over Richel Hogenkamp.
Sunday’s Fed Cup action features the return of Serena Williams after more than a year away from the game while becoming a mother.
US Soccer elects Cordeiro president
ORLANDO, FLA. » Carlos Cordeiro insists he’s the right choice to lead the U.S. Soccer Federation, which must chart a new course after its men’s national team failed to qualify for this year’s World Cup.
The 61-year-old business executive won the governing body’s presidential election Saturday. He succeeds Sunil Gulati, who led the organization since 2006.
Cordeiro was Gulati’s right-hand man the past two years. Cordeiro, a former Goldman Sachs partner, was elected on the third ballot with 68.6 percent of the vote.
Byron leads Daytona practice
DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. » Hendrick Motorsports rookie William Byron has posted the fastest lap in practice for the Daytona 500.
Byron turned a lap of 210.681 mph in Saturday afternoon’s practice at Daytona International Speedway. It was the fastest lap of two sessions.