レインジャーズがダービッシュ交渉権獲得
Rangers win Yu Darvish sweepstakes
Updated: December 20, 2011, 12:16 AM ET
By Richard Durrett
ESPNDallas.com
The Texas Rangers posted the highest bid for Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish and that bid was accepted by Darvish's team in Japan, Major League Baseball announced Monday night.
Sources said the Rangers' posting bid was around $51.7 million. Bidding for the posting fee closed last Wednesday, and the Ham Fighters had until 5 p.m. EST on Tuesday to accept.
The club has 30 days to negotiate with Darvish and his representatives. Should they not reach an agreement in that allotted time, the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters will not receive the posting fee and Darvish will pitch in Japan next season.
"The Texas Rangers are pleased and excited to have acquired the rights to negotiate with Yu Darvish. Our organization has scouted Mr. Darvish for the last several years and has been very impressed with his abilities and accomplishments. We believe he would be a great addition to the Texas Rangers pitching staff," the Rangers said in a statement. "We look forward to beginning the next step of this process in the very near future with Mr. Darvish and his representatives."
Various reports before MLB's announcement had the fee close to or possibly more than the $51.1 million the Boston Red Sox bid for Daisuke Matsuzaka prior to the 2007 season. The club still has to pay Darvish a contract, meaning the total investment will likely top $100 million.
Darvish was 18-6 with a league-best 1.44 ERA and 276 strikeouts. The 25-year-old is known to have superb command and some scouting reports say a seven-pitch repertoire, including a two-seamer added in 2010. He walked just 36 batters in 232 innings.
The 6-foot-5 right-hander pitched in the 2009 World Baseball Classic and in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He started his professional career at age 18 and after an average rookie year, put up impressive numbers in his second season (2006), going 12-5 with a 2.89 ERA and 115 strikeouts. Darvish has been steady and has pitched plenty of innings, leading up to his opportunity to land a deal and pitch in the big leagues.
Darvish is represented by Don Nomura and Arn Tellem.
"We were pleased to learn that the Texas Rangers were the high-bidders for Yu Darvish," Tellem said in a statement. "The Rangers are an extraordinary franchise in an exceptional city with equally exceptional fans. Yu is honored to be prized so highly and recognized as a once-in-a-generation pitcher. We look forward to getting negotiations underway."
Darvish is 93-38 with a 1.99 ERA in his career in Japan. He has not pitched in the major leagues before and scouts seem to differ on how good he will be. But he's projected by most as a No. 1 or No. 2 starter.
For a Rangers staff without a true No. 1, he gives them a young starter who slides into the upper part of the rotation, assuming a contract is reached. C.J. Wilson, the Rangers' top starter in 2011, signed a five-year, $77.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels this offseason.
Rangers general manager Jon Daniels scouted Darvish himself last season and the club has increased its presence in the Pacific Rim in recent years. The team's biggest signing out of Japan was Colby Lewis prior to the 2010 season. He put up a ton of strikeouts and showed solid control in Japan for two seasons and has been able to replicate that, for the most part, in the majors. Lewis has pitched well in the postseason for two straight years and the Rangers picked up a club option on Lewis' contract for the 2012 season.
Richard Durrett covers the Rangers for ESPNDallas.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
