MLB Trade Rumors: Rangers confident Yu Darvish will be dealt before the deadline

But where will he end up?

By Mike Axisa

Jul 31, 2017 at 11:17 am ET • 1 min read

The 2017 non-waiver trade deadline is 4pm ET on Monday (tracker, updates), and according to one report, the Texas Rangers are confident they will be able to move staff ace Yu Darvish by the end of the day.

The #Rangers are confident that Yu Darvish will be traded by end of day. In active talks now with #Dodgers,#Astros,#Yankees, #Indians.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 31, 2017

The Rangers came into Monday with a 50-54 record and they're 5 1/2 games back of the second wild card spot with six teams ahead of them. They've yet to show they're capable of making the kind of sustained run it'll take to become a serious postseason contender.

Darvish, 30, will be a free agent after the season, and while the Rangers would like to re-sign him long-term, there's no guarantee they will be able to work something out prior to the offseason. Trading Darvish would ensure the team gets something in return rather than potentially lose him as a free agent for nothing but a dinky draft pick.

The Dodgers have been most connected to Darvish in recent days, though other clubs like the Astros, Indians, and Yankees have been involved as well. You could never rule out other contenders like the Red Sox and Nationals either.