Photos
Winner of consecutive AL pennants, Texas also won the Yu Darvish sweepstakes with a record bid of $51.7 million. Now, the Rangers get 30 days to negotiate a contract with Darvish that would put Japan’s best pitcher at the top of their rotation. Otherwise, he returns for another season in Japan.
“Obviously, it’s a very exciting night for our organization, our fans and our community,” general manager Jon Daniels said on a conference call.
Major League Baseball announced that the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters of Japan’s Pacific League accepted the highest bid for Darvish. That sealed offer was submitted under the posting system by the Rangers.
A person familiar with the details said the winning bid by Texas was $51.7 million – more than the $51.1 million posting fee the Boston Red Sox paid for Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2006. The person spoke on condition of anonymity.
Ichiro Suzuki was the first big-name Japanese star to sign via the posting system. The Mariners submitted a winning bid of $13.125 million on Nov. 9, 2000, and signed Ichiro three weeks later.
Darvish, the son of an Iranian father and a Japanese mother, went 18-6 with a 1.44 ERA last season. He had 276 strikeouts to lead the Pacific League.
If the Rangers can close the deal, the 25-year-old right-hander would join a rotation that already includes five starters: Colby Lewis, Derek Holland, Matt Harrison, Alexi Ogando and former closer Neftali Feliz, moved out of the bullpen when the club signed free-agent reliever Joe Nathan this offseason.
Yet, despite their back-to-back AL championships, the Rangers are still chasing a World Series title – and Texas knows all too well that nothing is done until it is done.
Despite a serious effort after the 2010 season, the Rangers were unable to re-sign star pitcher Cliff Lee. They made it back to the World Series anyway and were within one strike of winning it all – twice – before St. Louis rallied to take the trophy.
Then the Rangers lost their latest ace, C.J. Wilson, when the left-hander agreed to a $77.5 million, five-year contract with the AL West rival Los Angeles Angels this month.
SHORT HOPS
The cash-strapped Mets are choosing not to operate a Gulf Coast League team in Port St. Lucie, Fla., in 2012, dropping their total number of minor-league affiliates from nine to eight. … The Rays re-signed right-handed reliever Joel Peralta (3-4, 2.93 ERA in 2011) to a one-year contract. … Former Seattle Mariner Yuniesky Betancourt agreed to a one-year contract with the Royals.
