Cubs snag Darvish with $126 million contract

Yu Darvish 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 in December and the sides remained in contact while the righthander listened to other potential suitors.

Texas, Milwaukee, Minnesota and the New York 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.

The addition of Darvish gives the Cubs a big boost as they try to return to the World Series after winning the title two years ago for the first time since 1908.

He joins a formidable rotation that includes Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Jose Quintana and Tyler Chatwood, who agreed to a $38 million, three-year contract in December.

Darvish finished last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, helping them knock out the defending champion Cubs in the playoffs to reach the World Series. The Japanese star is expected to take the rotation spot of Jake Arrieta, who became a free agent.

Pirates

Prospect Mitchell Tolman, a second baseman with Class AA Altoona, was suspended 50 games by MLB after receiving a second positive test for “a drug of abuse” in violation of the minor league drug policy. The suspension is effective at the beginning of the season. Tolman is the third member of the Pirates to be suspended for violating baseball’s drug policy this offseason. Left-handed reliever Nik Turley, who was on the major-league roster, and Montana DuRapau, a right-handed reliever with Class AAA Indianapolis, also received suspensions.