A millstone? I suppose that depends on how you see things. Will Darvish be worth the money he's getting in year five and six of that contract? Probably not. But if he helps the Cubs win another World Series or two in the three to four year window they still have, I don't think most Cub fans will complain.
The Cubs needed a front end starter this off season, and frankly I think Darvish was the best bet of the FA options. First off, they don't give up a draft pick to sign him. The only other FA that would've been true of is Arrietta, so the question comes down to who do you prefer, Arietta or Darvish? Arietta's velocity has been trending down for the last two years, as has his overall performance (as measured by ERA, ERA+, FIP, and WAR). His mechanics are funky and prone to going out of whack as well. And the Cubs reportedly offered Arietta the same deal they eventually gave to Darvish and he turned them down, so he wants even more money than Darvish.
The knocks on Darvish are his World Series performance, but that ignores his excellent post season performance prior tot he WS, not to mention the fact that he was reportedly tipping his pitches in the WS (something that is easily remedied). The other knock is his health, but his Tommy John surgery was back in 2014. Since he's come back in 2016, he's had no setbacks and has pitched well. He's not going to go deep for you, but how many starters do go deep in games nowadays? If he can consistently toss 6 quality innings, I'm a happy camper.
The last complaint I've heard on this deal is that it will prevent the Cubs from going after a big free agent next year. To which I say, hogwash. The Cubs are a major market team, they have oodles of cash, and an owner who is willing to spend to win. They are not over the cap, so no luxury tax for them, so they can easily afford to go into luxury tax territory next season if they decide it makes sense. But also, who exactly are people expecting the Cubs to go after? Donaldson plays the same position as Bryant. Machado can play a decent shortstop, but for how much longer? Kershaw is an amazing pitcher, but he has chronic back issues now and has spent time on the DL the last two seasons. And for all the talk of Harper joining the team, the man has Scott Boras as an agent. He's going to go for the biggest contract possible and given Harper's talent and youth, someone is going to offer him stupid money (despite the fact that he's been less than durable so far).
Darvish's deal is a bit of a gamble, but its a solid calculated one. The Cubs have their rotation and starting lineup locked down for the next 3 years, after that Hendricks, Baez, Quintana, and Chatwood hit free agency. Next year Bryant, Russell, Rizzo, and Schwarber are on the market. Obviously the Cubs won't be able to resign everyone, so the team will have to retool at that point and the last year or two of Darvish's deal won't really matter.
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