If Yu Darvish plays for a Major League team in 2012, he'll be wearing a Rangers uniform. Texas won the rights to the Japanese right-hander via the posting system with a record $51.7MM bid, Yahoo's Jeff Passan reports. MLB has confirmed that the Rangers submitted the highest bid and that it was accepted.
The bid, which exceeds the $51.1MM Boston paid for the rights to speak with Daisuke Matsuzaka five years ago, provides the Rangers with a 30-day negotiating window. If the sides don't agree to a deal within the next 30 days, Darvish will stay in Japan and the Nippon Ham Fighters won't obtain any cash from the Rangers.
Darvish posted a 1.44 ERA with 10.7 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 in 232 innings this past season and he hasn't posted an ERA above 2.00 since 2007. MLB agents suggested to MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes that it will cost at least $100MM to lock Darvish up, including the posting fee and contract.
If Rangers GM Jon Daniels reaches a deal with Darvish, Texas' rotation will look considerably different in 2012. C.J. Wilson signed with the Angels as a free agent and Neftali Feliz will move to the rotation. Alexi Ogando, Colby Lewis, Derek Holland, Matt Harrison and Scott Feldman provide manager Ron Washington with an abundance of alternatives for the rest of the rotation.
Agent Arn Tellem issued a statement explaining that he was pleased to learn the Rangers were the high bidders, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
"The Rangers are an extraordinary franchise in an exceptional city with equally exceptional fans," Tellem said. '"Yu is honored to be prized so highly and recognized as a once-in-a-generation pitcher. We look forward to getting negotiations underway."
The Rangers are on the clock and now have until January 18th to reach a deal with Darvish. The Blue Jays, Yankees and Cubs also placed bids on Darvish before last week's deadline. Conversely, the Giants, Athletics, Marlins, Mets, Rays, Angels, Twins, Red Sox and Orioles did not bid, according to recent reports. The Blue Jays had been favored to win the bidding for Darvish ever since the process wrapped up.
51.7 million dollars just to negotiate…that’s a lot of Yen.
At least it wasn’t the insanely high bid everyone was reporting. Barely over Dice-K for a pitcher who’s miles ahead of Matsuzaka. And the should be able to sign him to a pretty fair deal (touching 110-120 mill total?). Lets get this done Texas.
They still bid higher than the Royals 2011 payroll. That’s pretty crazy when you think about it. All just to negotiate, it’s no guarantee he will sign (although I believe Texas will sign him). NPB really cashes in on this bidding process.
The Rangers only pay the posting fee if they sign him. So it’s not really just to negotiate with him.
Lastings is wrong yes, but so are you…. the 51.7 million is to just negotiate with him. Period. The Sox paid 51 million to negotiate with Dice K and another 50 or 60 to sign him.
Sure they get it back if he doesn’t sign him, but he’s coming to MLB… The Rangers will be signing him
and when they do they will have paid 51.7 MM to negotiate and another 70 to get him signed.
How is 120 million over 5 years (24m per year) seem pretty fair for a guy who has never thrown a major league pitch?
It’s 120 including the posting fee. 120-51 = 69 mil for 5 years. Still seems high to me, but now we’re talking CJ wilson money and not, like, cliff lee money
he makes 7 million now, its going to take a raise to get him here
no matter how you slice it, it’s going to be close to Cliff Lee money… The total cost of the player is the posting fee and the contract.
It’s funny that they are willing to offer CJ Wilson 60 over 4 years, but are willing to (i’m assuming here) double that commitment for Yu Darvish, a man who looks great on TV; has 12 pitches; seems to be a great player; has never thrown a MLB pitch;…
remember Rangers fans, and take this from a sox fan who was grossly disappointed by a Japanese player who will remain nameless..
The culture is very different in Japan, The baseballs are smaller than MLB baseballs, and most importantly in my opinion…. the Japanese pitchers start once a week not every 5th day…. This is a big difference that def. had a negative affect on the last japanese pitching star that cost this much for the posting fee and was supposed to be the best thing since hello kitty.
I agree with most of what you said, but as far as CJ goes he’s younger than CJ has better stuff than CJ and has a much higher ceiling than CJ, and hopefully won’t suck in the playoffs as much as CJ. So for the CJ comparison I am much happier with Darvish even for the money. You’re right about the risk involved though.
While I am a fan of Darvish, to say he is “miles ahead” of another pitcher (when Yu hasn’t even thrown a major league pitch) is ridiculous. Everyone loved Dice-K too, but the results never came.
To put it in perspective, Cliff Lee was worth about 120 million over 5 years. Darvish won’t cost draft picks but 120+ mil (posting fee + 75 mil over 5 years) is still a lot for a prospect. (and yes, he is a prospect since he’s never thrown a major league pitch)
This posting system needs to be revamped.
you’re only looking at it from the point of view of the mlb club.. what about the japanese team losing its best player?
Do they own him? I mean that in the most literal sense imaginable. The man should be able to sign and play wherever he wishes. His former team is irrelevant. They deserve nothing.
he is the one that surrendered his ability to “sign and play wherever he wishes”
in most case athletes do not have employee rights.
If me or you want to go get another job, we can. We can be fired and not paid etc.. but athletes are different, they have stiff contracts and pretty much ya, when you are under contract your team owns you.
Its very much a soccer system, where home clubs develop stars and then sell them to bigger clubs as a secondary means of revenue.
Yes, actually they do own his services for the 2012 season. Oh, and if he tries to retire prematurely, he CAN’T play in the MLB.
They do get that hefty posting fee. I mean, 51 mil might not seem as much to MLB fans but what’s the average salary over there? MANY times lower. (Googled 400k. Compared to 3 mil for MLB)
That 51 mil buys you a team in Nippon for 10 years and then some…
And I thought making like 1/10 of the fee guaranteed would be more fair for all parties: This way, you attract more serious offers, you theoretically bring down the overall posting fee, the player has some indirect leverage (if they fail to sign, the MLB team loses out on 1/10 of the fee) and the Nippon team gets a safety net if no signing occurs. This is just something I thought of off the top of my head. Anyone see any downfalls? I mean, I think it’s better than the current process.
What that small salary average tells us is that team owners probably have bigger proffit margins than in MLB, which would make those almost 52 million dollars moot, because more likely than not, they would be able to make that amount in publicity, merchandise and tickets.
And even when the average is “small”, Darvish earnt 6 million dollars this past season, making him the best paid player in the JPBL.
If you’re going to revamp the posting process, you should start by giving the winning team a 30 day exclusive negotiating period, but after that, the 2nd highest team has a semi-exclusive negotiating window that is shared with the first.
In this case, you are less likely to have a team bid just to block others, while allowing the NPB team the best chance to capitalize on their player’s talent. Also, the player is likely to get a better contract through the deal.
Well, they do get the money.
It’s the minors it’s like Little Rock losing Mike Trout
um no, this is their professional league, try again
NPB payrolls are generally in the $20+ million range and top out around $30 million on occasion. Even a low posting fee is a nice boost for them.
Oops.
Cliff Lee is not “worth” 120 millions, that’s what the Phillies paid him because he was “the best” pitcher available.
So, as to compare what a pitcher gets when there’s nobody else available and two “rich” teams are after him, to what other pitcher received next season when the “rich” team that didn’t get Lee refused to even talk to him, much less pay him ‘Cliff Lee’ money (Wilson reportedly asked the Yankees for 20+ more millions than what he ultimately received).
And since we can’t compare what two players got in different scenarios, we can’t say that “player A is worth X and player B this is worth X+Y”.
Yeah, CC was a possibility as a FA but he didn’t want to leave the NYY.
PSDarvish will cost the Rangers if they can’t sign him before 2012 rolls on, as that is when the new CBA takes efffect, and the top is 2.9 million dollars.
I meant he was “worth” that much to the market. (I understand he gave a discount to Philly) Yes, I should have said “signed for”. Actually, a case can be made that Cliff Lee is actually “worth” more in value than 120 million.
I couldn’t decipher the rest of what you were trying to say but I believe you meant “they’re different situations based on the market”. If so, why can’t recent historic transactions be used as comparables? And my point was more that: a) Cliff Lee is one of the best pitchers in MLB and signed for 120 million b) it would take about the same amount of total cash to acquire Darvish. But again, it was for perspective. I would rather take Cliff Lee at 120 mil than Darvish at 120 mil. Yes, the money would be different. But again, the main point was that the biggest question mark is Darvish — whether his skills will translate in the majors and whether 120 mil was too risky a bet for someone with no big league experience.
You can even use CJ Wilson as an example: he signed for 78 mil over 5 with the Angels. How much would it have taken the Rangers to beat that? Maybe worst case, 90-100 mil over 5? Now, whom would you rather take?
But in the end, it doesn’t really matter what Cliff Lee or Wilson would have signed for (even though the ball park figures are better comparables than nothing), what matters is that 120 million for a guy who has never pitched in the majors is a bit ridiculous. The comparison with the Lee deal is to describe the magnitude of this transaction.
CJ would have stayed in Texas had the Rangers offered him the same contract that the Angels did. The Rangers never offered an actual deal, but proposed 4 years and something around $50-60M.
Yu Darvish is not going to get a $120M contract. Including the posting fee, while realistic, is highly ridiculous, but we can blame the Red Sox, Boras, and Daisuke for that. Mostly the Red Sox.
Also, could you enlighten me on what you meant about the new CBA deal and how the Rangers would lose 2.9 mil? Is there a clause on there?
They have 30 days to sign Darvish or he plays in Japan for the next 3 (i think) years until he is a free agent.
The 2.9 million dollar cap on international spending is only in effect once the new international signing period begins in the summer. it will have absolutely no effect on the negotiations between Yu and the Rangers.
The posting system is independent of the international signing cap. Anything the Rangers pay for posting and to Darvish does not count against the cap.
Miles ahead of Dice-k, huh? I do t know how you can say that when he hasn’t pitch a day in the majors. That’s like saying Bryan LaHair is miles above Rizzo based on what they’ve done in the minors. Japan is pretty much like AAA, if that. Until he pitches in the majors, you can’t compare.
At least it wasn’t the insanely high bid everyone was reporting. Barely over Dice-K for a pitcher who’s miles ahead of Matsuzaka. And the should be able to sign him to a pretty fair deal (touching 110-120 mill total?). Lets get this done Texas.
5 years/77M for a known quantity, or ?/100M+ for an unknown. I don’t understand the Rangers
The Rangers have been scouting Darvish for many years. Not offering CJ a big deal and going after Darvish big must have been the plan all along. Hard to argue with a GM that built the Rangers from the ground up to back to back world series. Oh to see the look on CJ’s face right now………
All the scouting in the world doesn’t make it any less of a gamble. How many highly touted players end up being AAAA?
True but you are talking about scouting a player that is at a level equivalent to AA or AAA, not high school or college. Think of how much easier it is to evaluate college talent over high school and now you are talking about Darvish being several levels above college. With that said, I am excited as a fan that we finally won something like this but am more afraid of a Dice K type result.
Hope he works out for you guys. I wasn’t wishing any ill will or anything, I was just surprised that they would spend so much after refusing to for Wilson. I’m thinking it was maybe a panic move.
I didn’t take it that way. I think it was part of the plan all along though and not a panic move. JD and Nolan are not the types to panic. We didn’t panic last year when we lost Lee and that worked out. I am sure that they had another plan had we not won with Darvish and then a plan if the next plan didn’t work. Sad part is that it would have been fun to see Prince here but we should definitely be out of that now. Pitching is the smart move though, time will tell if this was the right pitcher.
If this was the plan all along, imagine if CJ HAD taken a much lesser deal to stay in Texas AND the Rangers going after Darvish…
If CJ had accepted their lower bid, I doubt they even go after Darvish. JD and Nolan have very clear and defined plans and contigent plans. I think it was known early on that we would be outbid on where we felt comfortable with CJ. Still not sure on how I feel about Darvish as like everybody else, I only know what I have read. Does he need to be another Nomo to be successful at this price or even better? It is just a cool feeling that the team I root for won a bid like this. It ranks right up there with getting Cliff Lee 2 summers ago.
oz10 : it only worked out for the Rangers to the extent they got back to the WS.Outside of that,they lost the only guy on the staff ,with the possible exception of Holland ,that has a clue to the words ” command of the strike zone ” .Or could go more than 5 IP before they were forced into that BP. In the end,that camE back to cost them a World Series win.
Ummmm? The Rangers had the 7th best ERA for starting pitchers last year. They were also 9th in innings pitched just 70 back of the Phillies. That is an average of 6.1 innings by a starter. Give the Rangers their due, they have built a solid pitching staff and you obviously look at them as the old Rangers from the past.
And I can’t tell if you are talking about Lee or Wilson in regards to commanding the strike zone but Wilson is a nibbler and doesn’t adjust well if he is not getting those borderline strikes called. And last year after losing Lee, the Rangers didn’t panic but were patient and waited and were able to strike a deal with Beltre a month and half later and in essence improved all pitching because of his defense.
And isn’t the goal to make it to the World Series? So your comment of it only worked out to the extent that they got back to the WS means that they executed a plan and got very close to their goal. Where was Cliff Lee? Fortunately for us our plan B worked better than the Phillies plan A.
Disqus generic email template Obviously I was talking about Cliff Lee when I talked about command,and no,obviously I wasn’t looking at them as the ” old ” Rangers as you say. With a better # 1 on the saff,this team ( the Rangers ),and a Major League closer,WOULD have won that WS,no matter what you say. And,for you to infer that it might have been due to Cliff Lee that the Phillies didn’t make it through the NLCS,THAT is laughable.It had a lot more to do with an inability to hit in the clutch that the Phillies have shown time and time again. —–Original Message—–
The Japanese League is definitely above AAA, it is in the same category as MLB, even though MLB refuses to accept it… Which is strange since MLB got their behinds kicked around in the World Baseball Classic which Japan won.
The sole issue with Japanese players, specially pitchers is in their “body of work”, whereas they are allowed to pitch as much as they want to in Japan and are subject to a strict training regime, in MLB teams and coaches pamper pitchers so they can last a bit more, and once Japanese pitchers come to the US their regime is changed and their body resents it.
Matsuzaka was successful pitching 8 and 9 inning games in Japan with no limit of pitches, which made his body and arm stronger, then comes to MLB and the bosox ask him to throw 6 inning games with at most 100 pitches, and now when he needs that extra effort his body doesn’t respond.
WBC means absolutely nothing to which is better. Let’s place them in a 7 games 4 win situation and let’s see who will win the title…
Ok.
LOL don’t see any relation between the Rangers signing Yu Darvish and CJ’s happiness at all. He’s back in his hometown, getting paid quite a lot to do what he loves, I would guess he has a happy look.
But he is a respect guy. And this is kinda like hey, you are not worth in 4 years what this guy is worth just to talk to. After being around him for several years here, this did irk him and he will use it as extra fire.
CJ wasn’t worth a bag of peanuts much less the contract the delusional Angels signed him for. The Rangers know what CJ brings to the table and an unknown commodity is still better. This coming from a life long Ranger fan.
It is so awesome. Good time to be a Ranger fan!
The Rangers have been scouting Darvish for many years. Not offering CJ a big deal and going after Darvish big must have been the plan all along. Hard to argue with a GM that built the Rangers from the ground up to back to back world series. Oh to see the look on CJ’s face right now………
Well, you are a Mets fan, so I wouldn’t expect you to understand a well-run organization.
Low blow man! Low blow…
5 years/77M for a known quantity, or ?/100M+ for an unknown. I don’t understand the Rangers
YES I’M GLAD RANGERS WIN THE BID!!!!!!!!!! Now Show Yu the real $$$$$$$$..Now for Jays does this mean that Prince is going to Canada?
now that Rangers won the bidding I can see them trading a starting pitcher already in the rotation Colby Lewis, Matt Harrison, or even Derek Holland to get a real good player (center fielder)(Andrew Mcutchen?). idk who but they could definitely get creative. And this bidding could certainly keep them out of the Prince Fielder running. I personally feel Fielder would dominate in arlington park. Great bid. gives the Rangers depth and options to build from.
the pirates would never trade mccutchen for any of the pitchers you mentioned. the only pitcher on the rangers they would even consider is feliz. mccutchen is already one of the best overall outfielders in the game at age 25. they wouldnt trade him for average to above-average pitchers. not to mention the pirates have young arms in the minors already. should be interesting who wins the west though. angels offense is still pretty horrible even with pujols but their starting pitching is pretty damn good.
Creative would look something like this: Colby Lewis, Torrealba, Martin Perez, Mike Olt, David Murphy, and a couple others for Ichiro and King Felix.
I lol’d.
Scott,that is a very nice dream scenario you put out there involving Andrew McCutchen and the Pirates,but you notice I did use the word ” dream “.It would take Holland AND Profar to get them to give up that guy at this stage of his career !
Awesome for the Rangers! Congrats!
Still…talk about totally overdoing the suspense. It’s been more like a carnival sideshow than a baseball transaction!
Yes, congrats to Texas. Glad the Jays didn’t get him. I don’t want any more competition in the AL East.
no one GOT him yet. Just a chance to get him. TX isn’t a west coast team so he probably won’t go. especially with a child and a divorce going on.
He is not going to pass the oportunity to make a huge amount of money compared to what he can make in Japan.
Nothing eases the sting of a divorce like $50 million.
That she gets half of.
She won’t get half unless they don’t file for divorce until after he signs the contract, which is clearly not the case.
his divorce is in japan, who knows what the laws are there regarding this issue
Do you know anything about Japanese divorce law? Or are just assuming that Japanese divorce law is the same as American divorce law.
She won’t get half unless they don’t file for divorce until after he signs the contract, which is clearly not the case.
no one GOT him yet. Just a chance to get him. TX isn’t a west coast team so he probably won’t go. especially with a child and a divorce going on.
Cue Blue Jays fans freaking out in 3….2…1…..
Those darn Canadians ay?
Me and my flappy canadian head are disappointed.
eh?*
lol thanks for the correction
Those darn Canadians ay?
The only Toronto fans you will see freaking out are the bandwagon fans that love to spew negative attitudes towards everything. It appears that the Rangers won the bid and the real Toronto fans say congratulations. It was sure a roller coaster of emotions all week, but you can’t fault a team for losing, when the winner bids a record amount on an unproven pitcher in mlb. If he succeeds and brings his game to the Rangers, they will have an excellent team. If he gets hit hard, the Rangers management will be held responsible for another Dice-K situation. Congrats again Texas and it will be interesting to see what Toronto does now to make the team stronger.
Couldn’t have said it better, obviously if AA was in on Latos for so long he is serious about upgrading the pitching. A trade will happen soon.
The only issue is that as big as the Rangers are, I don’t think we can survive a Dice-k implossion.
Not many bandwagon fans for the Jays, but boatloads of bandwagon fans for AA.
Why can’t “Jays fans” be like you, act sensible and stop glorifying AA like the North Koreans do to their dead Dear Leader?
Seriously, I’ve seen waaay too many comments about AA and idiots either crying when he stands pat or over-justifying every single damn transaction he does.
Thank You!!
And what’s so crazy is that a month ago people were saying he was doing the right thing by building with prospects and not signing big free agents.
Then they say he was doing the right thing by bidding $100million on a unproven pitcher. It’s obvious they will defend his every move.
Dude is a good GM, but his cult is getting out of hand. Pretty soonhe’ll haves
are you really confused by that concept? you build with prospects until you are ready to compete. you hold off prior to that because the production of big free agents would be meaningless and long-term success is impossible without a young core of talent to sign free agents around
this is not a new idea. you hold off on big free agents until you have the young talent. with a top 3 farm, the jays now have that and are beginning to look at possible big names
perfectly consistent
preposterous notion, Alex Anthopolous invented it.
Your point would be better understood if you cited at least 5 examples of organizations in the top 3 in terms of farm talent that have signed big free agents to make them competitive for an extended period of time (more than 5 years in a row).
are you serious? no really. are you?
HA!! what’s so funny about all this, is that you and your ever present sidekick Lunchbox45 were the same two people ridiculing me when I said AA should go out and sign Prince Fielder!
You were both saying “he’s building with prospects, he’s not going to over pay free agents blah blah” yet here you are now saying they are ready to compete and should sign a high priced free agent. Not just any high priced free agent, but rather $100M on someone who hasnt thrown a pitch in MLB.
Tell me what changed in the last month. It was preposterous to spend $100M on fielder but now it would’ve made sense to spend the same on Yu Darvish
i’m sure plenty of people can confirm for you that my position on the jays has been that if they’re going to sign a big free agent, they have to sign two of them: a pitcher and a bat. signing fielder alone would be a mistake
the reason for this is exactly what i said above. if they only sign one, they aren’t contenders. but if they sign two and maybe make another trade, they’re in the hunt
if they signed darvish and didn’t acquire anybody else, i’d say the same things i said to you about the idea of just signing fielder. but i was expecting them to switch into hyper-aggressive mode if they signed darvish
so much for that
this is like getting slow rolled in a huge pot at the world series of poker.
its not his fault but this man will hear epic boos when he comes to visit toronto this summer.
Why would we boo darvish? ? its a sealed bid auction and the team who wrote the biggest number down on the paper won..
no one is going to boo him
this is like getting slow rolled in a huge pot at the world series of poker.
its not his fault but this man will hear epic boos when he comes to visit toronto this summer.
Depends on how long AA waits before scooping up Fielder now.
Depends on how long AA waits before scooping up Fielder now.
So much for all the rumors about the Jays gettin him…
hahahaha yeah!! IN YOUR FACE! IN YOUR FACE! IN YOUR FACE!
-Peter Griffin
hahahaha yeah!! IN YOUR FACE! IN YOUR FACE! IN YOUR FACE!
-Peter Griffin
Lame
Wow! Jon Daniels sure was holding the cards close to his vest on this one.
Oh god here come the Blue Jays and Ranger trolls Im outta here.
How do the Jays not bid higher than what Dice-K was posted for? SMH.
How do you know they didn’t bid 51.5?
That sound you hear is 1000’s of Jays fans diving into Lake Ontario…
they have that many fans?
Yeah…
*Had. Lake ontario is not warm this time of year.
It’s warmer this time of year than it is in May actually.
It’s warmer this time of year than it is in May actually.
they have that many fans?
Rangers out of Gonzalez hunt, his value goes down
I expect it’s just the opposite.
I expect it’s just the opposite.
Rangers are obviously very scared of Albert
Not even close..
This doesn’t even make sense. You’re obviously not a Rangers fan. The Rangers reports have been saying they have had interest in Darvish for a long time. Unless the Rangers knew the Angels were getting Pujols six montsh ago (LOL), then you’re wrong.
Well, I guess this means theres more money for Fielder… (?) Ah well, I can dream. Now lets go trade for Garza.
Its not official…
It is official……Unless you don’t consider the MLB announcing it to be official……
It’s not official until Darvish knocks on my door and tells me himself that the Rangers won the bid!
He’s on his way, he just left my house.
Does he speak Canadian though? I think I may need an interpreter.
something you want to tell us John?
Probably means Rangers are out on Prince. The list of suitors dwindles.
They needed Darvish more than Prince.
YUUUUUUUUU!!!!!
Interesting… but in the end I like it. More talent spread around the league means more parity and more parity means small market teams have a better shot of competing.
“More talent spread around the league”? I don’t know if you noticed but the Rangers have been in the world series the last two years and have one of the largest payroles in the league, this is hardly spreading talent.
They’re competing against an Angels team that just signed Pujols and Wilson… both teams are going to beat up on each other giving the Mariners and A’s a chance to finish a little higher up in the standings.
That’s not really how baseball works…
That was exactly the thought I had upon reading his comment…
That was exactly the thought I had upon reading his comment…
That’s not really how baseball works…
No, they’re just going to beat the hapless A’s and M’s further into oblivion. Sorry but it’s kinda true.
Ummm…..I think each team can probably count on 25 wins just by beating up on the M’s and A’s.
They’re competing against an Angels team that just signed Pujols and Wilson… both teams are going to beat up on each other giving the Mariners and A’s a chance to finish a little higher up in the standings.
Actually, the Rangers had the 13th highest payroll last year…under $100 million…very middle of the pack.
Research, PLEASE!
2010 Rangers opening day payroll : $55.25M, 27th in MLB
2011 Rangers opening day payroll : $92.3M, 13th in MLB
The Rangers made it to the WS with a pathetic payroll the first time around, and very well could have done it again with nearly the same payroll, except for pay raises.
The price of consistent winning is a rising payroll.
The price of consistent winning is a rising payroll.
”
very well could have done it again with nearly the same payroll, except for pay raises”.
those pay raises being Beltre?
hahaha…yeah…those poor small market Rangers.
“More talent spread around the league”? I don’t know if you noticed but the Rangers have been in the world series the last two years and have one of the largest payroles in the league, this is hardly spreading talent.
I want to be happy that Darvish will not be in the AL East but now I can see the Jays jumping right into the Fielder chase.
Buzzkillington… No Yu Jays Baseball lmao
Not sure about you, but I didn’t see that coming.
you missed out on an opportunity to replace you with YU. Would have been classic!
you missed out on an opportunity to replace you with YU. Would have been classic!
Damn…..I thought the Cubbies would win it….NOT. Good move for the Rangers if they can sign him under 100 mil (w/ posting)
I doubt that happens. Go big or go home, and you’re going to have to go big with Darvish.
There’s a better chance of Hugh Hefner not having an STD than that
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
damn grrl
Rangers looking a little desperate after losing Wilson. They’ll be paying more than they would have paid Wilson but for an unproven player…there’s tons of potential, but there’s also the potential he could flame out.
He has done well in NPB, however, very well. If Darvish is anywhere near as billed (granted, a BIG if), that will pan out well for the Rangers…again, if he doesn’t turn out to be the next coming of Kei Igawa).
@c75c5a905e81b5829032467aedc8d27e:disqus – the Rangers don’t really have any room for Fielder—if they sign him, that hurts their plans to keep Josh Hamilton.
He has…a dropoff is to be expected but he should still produce at a high level. A level that makes a 100 million dollar investment make sense? Who knows, it’s a big gamble.
Considering the Rangers didn’t even want Wilson back, I really can’t see how you call this a desperation move. They didn’t lose Wilson, they let him go without even looking back. Read up on your baseball before making false posts.
A 51.7 million dollar bid seems rash.
That’s the way baseball go. What team are you a fan of? Angels? Paying Pujols 25 million at the age of 42 is rash. Yankees? Paying A-ron 30 million at 42 is rash. Red Sox? Bidding 51 million on Daisuke is rash. Nationals? Paying Werth 126 million is rash. Cubs? Zambrano. Get it?
Eh, If Jon Heyman is correct (who says it’s going to take 75.5 for six years is what he’ll end up signing for) then that’s 50 million more than what they could have paid for CJ Wilson. He’s worth that much more?
CJ is 32 and will be declining soon. The Rangers saw something in him they didn’t like (considering they barely tried to retain him), Jon Daniels is known as one of the best GMs in baseball and he obviously saw something in Darvish. Are you smarter than Jon Daniels? Arm-chair GM?
It’s a lot more for an unproven player. Time will tell, that’s all. No, I’m just a fan. , just like you. Also, even GMs make mistakes, so we’re going to have to see.
It’s a lot more for an unproven player. Time will tell, that’s all. No, I’m just a fan. , just like you. Also, even GMs make mistakes, so we’re going to have to see.
CJ is 32 and will be declining soon. The Rangers saw something in him they didn’t like (considering they barely tried to retain him), Jon Daniels is known as one of the best GMs in baseball and he obviously saw something in Darvish. Are you smarter than Jon Daniels? Arm-chair GM?
That’s the way baseball go. What team are you a fan of? Angels? Paying Pujols 25 million at the age of 42 is rash. Yankees? Paying A-ron 30 million at 42 is rash. Red Sox? Bidding 51 million on Daisuke is rash. Nationals? Paying Werth 126 million is rash. Cubs? Zambrano. Get it?
I like a Yankee fan that tells other team’s fans that their team spent too much.
Hallelujah! That takes care of the starting pitching…now to go sign Fielder and give a big finger to Wilson and the Angels.
they didn’t get Darvish yet. don’t get too excited.
So you really don’t think they will sign him? He’s a Ranger.
I honestly wouldn’t even reply to him. I know, I know, I did too.
now they have an ace and four #3’s in their rotation
they don’t have Darvish yet. just negotiating rights according to this story.
STOP SAYING THAT TO EVERY SINGLE PERSON OMG!!!!
LOL i swear, if he doesn’t sign…
yeah theres no way the rangers will be able to fork up 151 million dollars and be able to extend kinslers contract like they want to do. im sayin 151 mil cause thats what darvish is seeking and the 51 for the rightss to sign him. unless he plans on taking less then 100 mil, i dont see him signing
they don’t have Darvish yet. just negotiating rights according to this story.
Assuming Darvish’ stuff translates otherwise 5 #3’s
I truly thought the Jays were gonna get Darvish. Surprising that the Rangers got a bid over the Jays.
And like that…. (Puff) the Blue Jays season is over.
Lol
puff puff pass
Way to overreact
Oh god here comes the Blue Jays and Garza rumors
As I’ve seen, I’m the only one who’s posted anything about garza, and it was simply a dream. I doubt they’ll get Garza, but by how far they went with Latos obviously AA wants a pitcher.
Just assumptions that they will come, nothing bad about the jays its just that AA will drive to give the least amount of top prospects
Ha Ha….Months ago I could see them coming.
Article needs sourcing.
#denial
WOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWW
that is the code to the yankees secret bank account right??
that is the code to the yankees secret bank account right??
That’s nice that the Rangers allegedly won the bid, but I seriously doubt if Yu will want to play there. it’s one of the best hitting ball parks in the majors and Yu won’t pitch nearly as well there than at a park like Seattle or SD. I think he’ll probably be pitching in Japan again next year.
5 years and 75 million will change his mind. Plus, he is cocky enough to want to win here.
The whole ballpark thing is way overrated. The Rangers had one of the top ERA’s in the AL last year and they pitched in the park…I’d rather play for a winning team and prove my excellence than lose with the Padres or Mariners.
That’s nice that the Rangers allegedly won the bid, but I seriously doubt if Yu will want to play there. it’s one of the best hitting ball parks in the majors and Yu won’t pitch nearly as well there than at a park like Seattle or SD. I think he’ll probably be pitching in Japan again next year.
well, as an a’s fan…fml
although the flip side….ticket sales have just risen for home games against the rangers, assuming they’ll sign him
haha we done anyway
yeah, angels and rangers home games will heavily attended now though, with the additions of Pujols/Wilson and Darvish to the West
beane threw in the towel when he decided to trade cahill and wanting to trade bailey and gio lol. idk how many times they can rebuild before he keeps a team intact.
well, as an a’s fan…fml
although the flip side….ticket sales have just risen for home games against the rangers, assuming they’ll sign him
$51.7 million just to negotiate with him. What a joke.
Id charge it if theyd pay me.
Good thing we don’t have any human rights issues that could use 51.7m or anything.
you’re on the wrong site
I’m just saying, I know moneys going to be spent, but 51.7m?
Right. So baseball players should be paid $50k a year with the rest of the money going to the homeless, medical research, human rights, etc.
in a productive world, there would be no baseball.
but that’s not the world we live in.
Productive? Please point us all to a society where people were happy and productive and did not have hobbies or games.
please outline which part of the yu darvish bidding is supposed to decrease household spending?
Productive? Please point us all to a society where people were happy and productive and did not have hobbies or games.
Good thing we don’t have any human rights issues that could use 51.7m or anything.
$51.7 million just to negotiate with him. What a joke.
Congrats to the Rangers.
It sucks as a Jays fan, but at least now I can get some sleep.
I’m sort of relieved…
So am I. You have any idea how bad my eyes twitch when I don’t sleep for 4 days straight? Thank goodness for another Canadian stereotype: Tim Hortons!
EDIT: Oh, #endsarcasm.
yea, would have been incredibly exciting, but the jays were more than just a darvish away from contention. not a $100mill gamble they were willing to make at this point (or at least not as willing as the rangers).
only negative is that now all the brainless jays fans will be clamoring ever harder for fielder, which also isnt going to happen. and we`ll have to endure even more whining over rogers`spending habits. sigh…
on the bright side the jays still have a good team, good management, and a bright future. i was pretty excited for next years team anyways – losing darvish doesnt change that.
I’m sort of relieved…
Yu want the truth, Jays fans? Yu can’t handle the truth.
haters always hate
This is the the 3rd time you’ve posted this sentance today…smh
best Yu stop now
but really, best Yu pun i’ve read so far. well done sir
If Rangers sign Darvish and Prince that’s a dangerous team. Can’t even imagine how many runs that offense will score.
We have core guys to resign. The Rangers will be out on Fielder, if they were ever really in on him anyway.
We have core guys to resign. The Rangers will be out on Fielder, if they were ever really in on him anyway.
Congrats to the Rangers!!!!
I find the people PO’d at Blue Jays management for not getting Darvish kind of hilarious. Do they not realize this was blind bidding and the Jays were known to have put in a huge bid? They probably thought it was huge enough. That’s not lack of effort, that’s just losing a blind bid.
I find the people PO’d at Blue Jays management for not getting Darvish kind of hilarious. Do they not realize this was blind bidding and the Jays were known to have put in a huge bid? They probably thought it was huge enough. That’s not lack of effort, that’s just losing a blind bid.
They are blue jays fans, they are annoying and the biggest homers on the planet, they are also Canadian which explains a lot.
Really curious to know the fee.
So if they don’t strike a deal then Darvish can become a free agent next year right? Then he could come over and get twice the money and choose the team that he signs with… Is that right?
I believe he would have to play in Japan for 2-3 more years before he is a free agent
oh ok, I must have heard wrong. Thanks
I don’t know myself, so I’m just saying what I’ve seen others say. I’ve seen people say there could have been teams bidding to win the rights just to not sign him so he could become a free agent after 2012. I’ve seen people say if not signed he could have become a free agent after 2012. no idea myself, just saying what I’ve seen other people say.
See what i heard is that if the Fighters accepted the bid and a deal doesn’t get done then he would become a free agent next season… Now I need to know for sure…
I don’t know myself, so I’m just saying what I’ve seen others say. I’ve seen people say there could have been teams bidding to win the rights just to not sign him so he could become a free agent after 2012. I’ve seen people say if not signed he could have become a free agent after 2012. no idea myself, just saying what I’ve seen other people say.
Apparently the Rangers have seen all those “Darvish over Wilson” posts flying all over the internet the past few months. Congratulations to the Rangers, beautifully countering the Angels’ signing of Wilson and Pujols. I feel real sorry for M’s fans, A’s fans and Astros’ fans.
yeah but at least a’s fans have a reason to go to the colliseum now…
A guy that hasn’t thrown a ML pitch, who is going to end up costing $20m+/season is somehow countering the Angels signing the best hitter in baseball to go along with a pitcher that nipped at 6 WAR last season?
It’s a move the Rangers had to make but I’m not sure the balance sheet is even quite yet.
nest hitter over the last several years, sure. Best hitter in baseball, not currently in the top 5
I’ll take Puljos over anyone you think is top 5.
Really, you’d take a 32 year old Pujols over:
Bautista (31)
Cabrera (28)
Gonzalez (30)
Kemp (27)
Braun (28)
Well I never really saw it as an act that balanced the power. I mean, there is already enough arguments over Wilson VS Darvish, with Pujols going to LA, the Rangers can never match that up. However, considering that Texas is a bit more talented to begin with, in my opinion, plus there aren’t too many big names left for Texas to grab, I’d say grabbing Darvish is a good start on the Rangers side of the AL West arms race.
Balance? Even with the Angels signing Pujols and Wilson they still have ground to cover before taking over the Rangers place in the AL West. The Angels are the ones chasing, not the other way around.
I want to know how much the Jays bid before I respond.
Not enough
Good luck with that. You never hear about the runner-ups.
I’m glad my team didn’t get him. Paying over $100 million for a pitcher that you have no idea how he will perform is too much.
Oh stop it, thats what we all say.
AA has only one option now: PRINCE FIELDER. Make it happen!!!!!
Congrats to the Rangers on getting the rights to speak to him.This kid is the real deal so great job if they get him signed
Texas signing Fielder would not scare me too much. People who fear that never seem to learn you can’t slug your way to championship.
But Yu Darvish to the Rangers does scare me, quite a lot.
And then anything else they add (and even if they don’t add on anymore) after that including Prince is icing on the cake, a good one for Ranger fans, but not for fans of other teams.
The 2011 Cardinals would like to disagree with your statement, “You can’t slug your way to a championship.”
Did you watch the NLCS?
I’m sorry as a long time fan of the Cardinals I missed the fact that they were 8th in the MLB in FIP last year even with a off year from Carpenter, no Wainwright and some early season bullpen issues.
I also thought that both the Cardinals and the Rangers were in top five in the category for the month of September.
I thought pitching had a little bit to do with their success, silly me.
TX would scare me if they signed Prince, 81 games of Super left handed power in a stadium that valet parks pop ups to right to the seats, Darvish on the other hand is changing everything- ball size, days of rest, climate, culture, pressure, and a step up in talent….
As an Angels fan I’m not thrilled about this signing. I think Durvish will be good. On the positive though, bringing in Prince would have really been trouble. As long as they are out on Prince I’m fine with them breaking the bank to bring in Durvish.
As an Angels fan I’m not thrilled about this signing. I think Durvish will be good. On the positive though, bringing in Prince would have really been trouble. As long as they are out on Prince I’m fine with them breaking the bank to bring in Durvish.
Surprise! We’re going to get Darvish AND Fielder! jk
Glad you’re taking him so literally. Geez.
Glad you’re taking him so literally. Geez.
AA, you can make it all up to me by gettin garza, gonzalez and Fielder. GETTER DONE… ( I can be audacious right?)
So it’ll cost them about $100 million for a guy who’s never thrown a major leagie pitch. Absurd.
so he sucks? i’ll remember your name when this guy starts waffling “major league” hitters
oh well. we still have some nice arms. GO BLUE JAYS!!
AA… Fielder.
GET. IT. DONE.
AL is really pulling away as the league with the most elite teams. Apart from the Marlins, it feels like the NL is sleepwalking through this offseason.
Yes because if you don’t spend in the offseason and get as many FA as possible, you are not an elite team.
Yet still the NL has won the past two WS, 3 of the last 4, and 4 of the past 6.
Yes because we all now the true way to evaluate talent on a league level basis is seeing who wins the WS.
You have to be living under a rock to think that the NL has been even close to the AL in terms of talent over the past 10 years.
Ten years ago does not matter with today or tommorow.
Ten years ago does not matter with today or tommorow.
Well we are talking about right now aren’t we? The NL has won the past two WS and AS games. So what does 10 years have to do with it. I agree that which league wins the WS doesn’t show which league is elite but for a team to be considered Elite, it has to have won a WS IMO, calling a team elite when it hasn’t won a championship isn’t elite. Boston and NY are elite, and St. Louis and Philly are elite. Those are really the only teams in all of baseball I consider ELITE.
Good for the Rangers. They have their own Big Yunit now. So much for fantasizing the mystery team was my Dbacks… LOL
That’s an awesome nickname. “Big Yunit”.
Im using “The Big Yunit” hahaaha
no one’s called you that before?
Back in the day…back in the day…
Back in the day…back in the day…
Well for us Blue jay fans, now we got to ask, now what? I don’t see us having a breakthrough season with just Sergio Santos, AA isnt going to do some stupid large deal for Fielder, and we really don’t know how open the trading market is for the remaining quality & team friendly contracted pitchers. Looking kinda dim, hope AA pulls another rabbit out of his hat without killing the farm.
*BREAKING NEWS* Sergio Santos moved into the rotation, and will be slotted in at all 9 positions; Jays release 24 from MLB roster.
most of AA’s moves are out of the blue, so you never know.
If AA wanted to kill the farm, he would trade for at least 3-5 star players. That’s how deep our system is and Blue Jays fan don’t realize is that AA is following his game plan from the beginning. How do Jay’s fan don’t learn to be more patient after having JP Riccardi not being patient and making big bold moves before it was necessary had too, and that’s what most Jay’s fan want AA to do again.
If AA wanted to kill the farm, he would trade for at least 3-5 star players. That’s how deep our system is and Blue Jays fan don’t realize is that AA is following his game plan from the beginning. How do Jay’s fan don’t learn to be more patient after having JP Riccardi not being patient and making big bold moves before it was necessary had too, and that’s what most Jay’s fan want AA to do again.
52 million just for the rights to negotiate, then probably a 6 yr/75 million contract – which equates to roughly 21-22 million a yr for a pitcher who has never pitched in the majors leagues!!…that’s roy halladay money people!!…I’m kind of relieved the jays never got him…very expensive.
WHOOOOOOOOOOO GOTTTTTTTTTT YUUUUUUUUUUUUUU RANGERS GOT YUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
Now the Mariners over-pay for Fielder? I wonder who Billy Beane is going to bend over for Gio…
In all seriousness Imo Yu will be an above average pitcher. I guess we will see. It is interesting that Pujols will get some at-bats against him at Texas though……if that goes well the kid might be going places.
Love the avatar and name…
I have to say I’m appalled at the media for it’s poor performance on this story throughout the past week. Leave the fun guessing games and speculation to bloggers. I’m alright with the Jays missing out though. Wiser investments can be made.
whatever. he throws 91 mph anyways.
Yeah because how fast you throw is the only way to be a successful pitcher.
did i say he was going to blow? i heard a scouting report that said he throws 96, which was in the back of my mind when i though we were going to win the bidding when i converted his fastball to mph and found out that he might just be overexaggerated like daisuke was.
did i say he was going to blow? i heard a scouting report that said he throws 96, which was in the back of my mind when i though we were going to win the bidding when i converted his fastball to mph and found out that he might just be overexaggerated like daisuke was.
Yeah because how fast you throw is the only way to be a successful pitcher.
dont be the guy who all of a sudden doesn’t like a guy because your team missed out on him.
I HOPE HE BLOWS UP HIS ROTATOR CUFF AND HAS TO GET TJ IN HIS FIRST SEASON! that better?
whatever helps you sleep at night sweetheart
whatever helps you sleep at night sweetheart
You’re a winner and so are the 2 people that liked your comment.
I HOPE HE BLOWS UP HIS ROTATOR CUFF AND HAS TO GET TJ IN HIS FIRST SEASON! that better?
lol i’m obviously dissappointed about not winning, but other than yu, i’ve always been sceptical of japanese players, so i’m not going to throw myself off the CN tower. i’m also tired of this process being stretched out, so i’m ready to move on.
it was all those damn ‘inside sources’ and bs from twitter and blogs.. I wish this was the first reporting done on it.
it was all those damn ‘inside sources’ and bs from twitter and blogs.. I wish this was the first reporting done on it.
lol i’m obviously dissappointed about not winning, but other than yu, i’ve always been sceptical of japanese players, so i’m not going to throw myself off the CN tower. i’m also tired of this process being stretched out, so i’m ready to move on.
He throws 93-94mph
He throws 93-94mph
so does cliff lee.
so does cliff lee.
I’m really disappointed. I really don’t expect the Jays to try anything with Fielder. Especially if he wants an Albert Pujols like contract. Thats just how AA rolls. I don’t necessarily agree with it. He’s going go through the trade route for pitching. We have prospects and extra outfielders, hopefully we can make something happen.
What i really don’t understand is why the Jays didn’t bid over the Dice-K posting fee. He’s suppose to be better than Matzuzaka. I was very confident in the Jays bid until they were reporting the Jays bid 48 million. Who knows if that was the actually number, but still. If its true that it was below Matzuzaka’s posting fee, that I don’t know how serious these guys were about Darvish.
Congrats to the Rangers
it was a long, weird ride. glad its all over. I’ll be interested to see how things turn out with him.
Still a 30 day ride for us Ranger fans. Hopefully this gets done. A Darvish, Lewis, Holland, Harrison, Feliz rotation would be sick and I’d have no doubts about that rotation being able to compete with LAA
Neftali Feliz in the ROTATION?!?!?!?! Then who closes?
Joe Nathan
Where have you been?
Neftali Feliz in the ROTATION?!?!?!?! Then who closes?
with the rangers offense, anythings possible man.
good time to be a ranger fan for sure
I wouldn’t exact;y call that a sick rotation. Maybe the sniffles or a cold sore or something.
Still a 30 day ride for us Ranger fans. Hopefully this gets done. A Darvish, Lewis, Holland, Harrison, Feliz rotation would be sick and I’d have no doubts about that rotation being able to compete with LAA
He’ll want more than CJ got for the Angels. My guess is a deal is never reached.
I would of been more skeptical on the Blue Jays reaching a deal. Rangers have the money
That’s just such a false statement, I don’t even know where to begin.
Looks like I got suckered again lmao. EVERY TIME! I should of known before this prolonged stunt that anytime Jays are the favourites they never get the prize, wheres a peace of plywood where I can bash this concept into my forehead?
Nolan Ryan and the rest of the Rangers FO have lost their minds if they go thru with a deal.
Stop being so optimistic
Nolan Ryan and the rest of the Rangers FO have lost their minds if they go thru with a deal.
Can’t wait to see Pujols crush him
Can’t wait to see Pujols crush him
IF he signs:
(In no order)
The Big Yunit
The Dutch Oven
Neftali
Harrison
Ogando
Dont forget “Kobe Lewis”
Im ashamed that i forgot about Lewis:/
It’s okay man… those pitchers from the NPB have weird names. ;)
It’s okay man… those pitchers from the NPB have weird names. ;)
I’ll take Lewis over Ogando
Maybe send Harrison to the bullpen…you have to give Ogando another chance to start. If he stumbles in the second half of the year again then put him back in the pen but he could be one hell of a starter.
It’s a tough decision. Matt Harrison had a great season too. I think he could do even better next year.
Im just glad I dont have to make those tough decisions lol
I would give my left nut to be on the staff that makes those decisions lol.
I would give my left nut to be on the staff that makes those decisions lol.
Im just glad I dont have to make those tough decisions lol
here’s a thought. keep Neftali in the pen where he’s comfortable. there isn’t any guarantee that’ll he’ll be able to handle starting and he’s a proven comodity at closer.
Matt Murton has a .349 batting average, 17 home runs and 91 RBIs in Japan.
Matt Murton has a .349 batting average, 17 home runs and 91 RBIs in Japan.
great, they´re out for Prince Fielder, go M´s!!
I would love to see the look on CJ’s face……………What, they paid more to talk to this guy than they offered me for 4 years?!?!?!
Sad as a Jays fan to see him go. One thing we have learned is whatever reporters think the Jays will do, they won’t. Don’t believe the hype, Jays are connected to no one, and everyone~~~~~~ (spooky). But good luck to him, realistically it is just too steep a price to justify, I hope he pitches well except against the Jays.
I’m sure CJ is doing just fine still….
so…Niese to Toronto? anybody? Bueller?
blah
As a diehard (NOT CASUAL) Jays fan, I can’t help but think this COULD be the beginning of the end of baseball in Toronto if AA does not go out and acquire a big name before the season starts.
Many casual fans were led on by a lot of the rumors and even false reporting, and as a result of the Rangers winning the negotiation rights, the Jays will lose a boatload of casual fans. If our push to contention goes much longer than the expected window (2014), many will look back at this as a tipping point.
Don’t confuse me with one of those short sighted fans that just begs them to spend money. I’m excited for what the Jays are doing, and I can see the Jays have a plan, are sticking to it, will be contending soon, and for a long time.
BUT, the Jays had a chance to make a splash, and didn’t, and it could end up costing them on and off the field.
Congrats to the Rangers though, I (along with real Jays fans) will most definitely be in attendance when Yu visits Toronto.
If I could copy paste Lunchbox’s reply to posts like this I would but I don’t remember where it is.
Great input!
:D
do they pay you?
I just don’t want to take credit for his work! But basically he states that if we did all our moves that we did in the off season instead of at the trade deadline, the fans would be ecstatic. AA does his best work then, don’t worry we will be a better team than last year.
I’m definitely excited, don’t get me wrong, but this was something where the Jays could reach into the market of casual fans, but instead they missed out. Not their fault, I’m sure they tried their darndest, but it could end up being quite the hit to the fanbase.
any hit to the fanbase would come running back if they win. its all about winning.
Yeah, hence “If our push to contention goes much longer than the expected window (2014), many will look back at this as a tipping point.”
If we don’t manage to contend anymore, this could be the tipping point.
The Blue Jays atleast tried and bid 50 Million. It’s not like the report 2 weeks ago where fans were going crazy against Rogers for being Cheap.
I think you’re highly overreacting. The Jays do have a good team, and anything can happen. They would be super scary if they added Fielder.
I don’t think I am, but judging by my twitter feed and my facebook timeline, a large number of my friends are.
I don’t think I am, but judging by my twitter feed and my facebook timeline, a large number of my friends are.
I think you’re highly overreacting. The Jays do have a good team, and anything can happen. They would be super scary if they added Fielder.
so wait…would this technically put Darvish at the top of the prospect list? or at least top 3 or 4
Ichiro was rated number 9 on the prospect list
DiceK was the #1 prospect. ahead of the likes of kershaw, lincecum, j. upton, longoria, tulo and a whole mess of superstars.
Daisuke is Daisuke.
Yu is Yu.
If Trevor Cahill went to Japan this year he might be valuable to any team he joins.
If Justin Verlander went there next year would it be accurate to measure him by what Cahill did or did not do?
Well put…that was one of the most intelligent posts on this forum.
Daisuke is Daisuke.
Yu is Yu.
If Trevor Cahill went to Japan this year he might be valuable to any team he joins.
If Justin Verlander went there next year would it be accurate to measure him by what Cahill did or did not do?
Darvish to Texas means Gio to BlueJays. Makes the most sense, Jays are stacked with prospects..
Gio to anyone in the AL East makes no sense.
please no
Garza would look good in a Jays uniform.
THis I agree with, just not at the cost being speculated
Garza would look good in a Jays uniform.
Reports indicate it will take a CJ Wilson-size contract to seal the deal. If so, I really have to question the Rangers’ decision-making process here. That means it’s going to cost about $129 million to replace Wilson, meanwhile Wilson went to the Rangers’ rival, the Angels, making them stronger. Rival stronger and Rangers have to spend tons more money.
The Angels spent 331 million on 2 players this offseason…they spent over twice as much money and still arent better than Texas
Oh thanks for clearing that up. I won’t have to watch the season now. Do you happen to have the lottery numbers as well?
7 24 12 35 13 21
Want next weeks too?
You Angel fans are so sensitive…
Rangers gonna spend triple digits on a guy that plays every 5 days. They are basically saying he is Roy Halladay.
Yea, and the Angels just spent double that on a 32 year old future DH.
The market is what it is.
I’m going to play those numbers. lol
The Angels are MUCH better than the Rangers right now. not sure what you are talking about. And I’m an un-biased Cubs fan. The Pujols contract was rediculous, I admit. No good GM will pay a 32 year old $254 million for 10 years. That is insane. However; Pujols will be a great player still for another 3-4 years. CJ Wilson is a great pitcher with ACE potential. Yet on their team is only a #4. Solid.
congrats you have Albert who is human. 1 hitter doesnt make u better then the rangers
The run differential between the Rangers and Angels was too great to be made up solely by Pujols, sorry. The Angels are counting on bounce back years from Morales and Wells.
MUCH better? That seems to be a little biased in my opinion. Lets break it down.
Starting Rotation: Obviously the Angels have the better rotation, but they need that kind of rotation against the Rangers lineup. Texas has an above average rotation that is well capable of shutting down LAA’s excuse of an offense even with Pujols.
Bullpen: I’d take the Rangers pen over LAA’s although I am a huge Scott Downs fan. Texas has more depth.
Hitting: Besides Pujols…you get the picture.
Biased in your opinion, huh? Yeah sure…. I guess Cubs fans are secretly Angels fans too. It’s absurd to think I’m biased. I know the lineups already, which is why I said the angels are better, but thanks for taking up space writing the lineup for me again. Saved me time te-visiting the angels website.
Never did i once state the lineup. Why are the Angels better? You’re saying that you’d take the Angels lineup and bullpen over the Rangers? If so, thats what I would call absurd. I’d like to see the Angels offense muster up the same stats as the Rangers, even if the played in a hitter-friendly park like The Ballpark in Arlington. Pujols cannot cover up the run differencial that the Angels had last year. Theres no validicity to your opinion “The Angels are MUCH better than the Rangers right now.”
By the way….. You never broke anything down. All you did was state opinions. A fact is that Arlington is a very hitter-friendly ballpark FYI.
Darvish has better stuff than CJ. Darvish has the stuff to be a #1/#2
CJ has stuff to be a #1/#2 as well.
lol. No he does not.
And you have no idea what kind of stuff he’ll have. they use a different size ball, the climate will be different, etc…. lots of variables.
Darvish is a #1/2 pitcher with stuff to be a top pitcher. CJ is a #2-4 (closer to a 4 when in clutch games) who is extremely wild and temperamental in games making him inconsistent. So yes, I can see exactly why JD would rather spend CJ type money on a much better (and way younger) pitcher.
CJ is not a 2-4 on most teams. he has pitched like a top of the line ace for his only 2 years starting so far. You are just a disgruntled Rangers fan. I would’ve paid CJ $80 million instead of paying $127 million for an un proven talent personally. Plus CJ is a lefty. is Darvish worth an extra $10 million / year younger? I think not.
The problem with your argument is that at the age of 32, he has only been a starter for 2 years. What does that tell you? Decline coming soon. An “Ace”, he is not…
Darvish is a #1/2 pitcher with stuff to be a top pitcher. CJ is a #2-4 (closer to a 4 when in clutch games) who is extremely wild and temperamental in games making him inconsistent. So yes, I can see exactly why JD would rather spend CJ type money on a much better (and way younger) pitcher.
From a Rangers perspective, they’re in a win now mode, doing whatever it takes. Great to see the front-office commitment.
The Rangers getting and keeping Darvish would be monumental.
They have always been able to hit. Look at what they did early in the last decade only to be losers.
But they have not a true ace since Kevin Brown left town as soon as he could.
A half-season of Cliff Lee is not quite the same as having as ace year after year, but he was that for short term.
And as for Lee and C.J. This year was the second year in a row that their top of the rotation guy left town as a free agent and did not look back.
Hopefully Darvish prefers to wait for greener pastures to pitch in next year.
What greener pastures next year? The FA SP market next year is one of the best in years and would lower his value.
assuming Yu doesn’t sign, is he allowed to be posted again next year? With such a strong pitching market, wouldn’t his posting fee be way down? that would allow him to pocket more money in the contract wouldn’t it?
A lower posting fee guarantees nothing but just that.
He’s a free agent next year. Essentially, the Rangers are paying $51 million to talk to a guy 1 year sooner.
No he is not. Try 2013.
Try 2014 before he can pitch in MLB. He has a contract for 2012 and 2013 in Japan
No he can only be posted once.
And the fact that you can only be posted once and he is not a free agent for another 2 years
Greener pastures = Anywhere but Arlington.
And as for the money, an ace pitcher is an ace card free agent no matter who else is out there.
And a young talent can demand more money than old one.
Even if there is no guarantee that the young talent will produce.
CJ was successful in Arlington. There’s no reason any other pitcher can’t be. Keep the ball down and you don’t have to worry about anything. We’ll have one of the best defenses in the league behind him.
EDIT: All of our pitchers were successful in Arlington this year. Minus Colby who had hip problems all year.
the ball park has a lot to with them always being able to hit. it’s a hitter friendly park.
Darvish will bring in 25 million a season in japanese TV, radio and advertising rights. He is the Jordan of Japan, and should have been bid on by every team in MLB. Anyone who thinks they overpaid does not understand international appeal and economics. Rangers are brilliant even if he sucks.
if you say so. They could’ve just waited until next year and got him without a posting fee.
No they couldn’t have. It’s been said on a few thousand times over the last month that he is not a free agent in Japan after this season…
Can you repeat that for everyone? I don’t think they’ve gotten it after the first 5000x it’s been said. lol
They’ll be brilliant if they move the fences back 50 feet
No the other teams who didn’t bid and get to split all that marketing money the Rangers are about to make are brilliant.
Well, at least I got 1 prediction correct this off season.
The expectations of Yu’s performance are huge. How many 1st year starters are expected to have 15+ Wins?
He’ll have a solid offense behind him with tons of run support
and he’s also going to give up a lot of runs in that ball park.
Yu don’t know that.
He’ll have a solid offense behind him with tons of run support
The best teams in baseball are in the AL West. After the moves the Angels and Rangers made you would think that Seattle joins the A’s in looking to the future. I know can see them trading King Felix. This posting was a big blow to Jays fans.
Well if Jesus Montero is for real (and I am always skeptical about Yankee prospects because they always get more attention then others do) and is destined to be the games best RHB slugger, the pressure on the Yankees to deal him for pitching maybe just got elevated.
If they deal him to get Gio, then he brings that “Potential” to Oakland.
Then the A’s can develop him so he can leave and sign on with the Yankees later. But in the meantime he can (if for real) put up some big numbers there for several years first.
Well if Jesus Montero is for real (and I am always skeptical about Yankee prospects because they always get more attention then others do) and is destined to be the games best RHB slugger, the pressure on the Yankees to deal him for pitching maybe just got elevated.
If they deal him to get Gio, then he brings that “Potential” to Oakland.
Then the A’s can develop him so he can leave and sign on with the Yankees later. But in the meantime he can (if for real) put up some big numbers there for several years first.
There are alot of good teams in baseball. As a Rangers fan I hope we do again have one of the best teams, but you have to play the games. Nobody has won anything yet.
Seems like the Toronto Blue Jays were runner ups. Good for the Rangers to win something for once, after being runner ups for two straight years. Congratz :)
Being the runner-up in the entire MLB is better than being the runner-up in the West.
Surely you can make a better back-handed comment than that.
The Blue Jays AREN:T in the west. surely you can know what you are talking about before correcting someone.
He’s an Angels fan genius. Surely you can click on the person’s profile to see who they’re a fan of before incorrectly trying to correct someone.
Being the runner-up in the entire MLB is better than being the runner-up in the West.
Surely you can make a better back-handed comment than that.
Too bad they restricted the international FA budget. Yu know how many prospects you could buy with the estimate price tag of 125 million?
How many pitchers anywhere have less than a 2.00 ERA?
The overall league ERA is Japan this year was 2.95. That’s actually a touch lower than the league ERA was in MLB in 1968 when Gibson had his insane season. Be happy if Darvish can put up a 3.80 ERA his first year in MLB.
I want a source…NOW!
yes, they change the ball this year so hitter is less effective this year. But in the previous year (2010, 2009, 2008, 2007) wasn’t like this.
Darvish/Feliz/Holland/Lewis/Harrison, a pretty solid rotation
maybe. no one knows if Darvish will even play for the Rangers and how successful he will be in that ball park that is a hitter’s ball park.
Allow Ogando to go back to the BP where he is most valuable with Adams and Nathan. Would be a solid move for Rangers
Allow Ogando to go back to the BP where he is most valuable with Adams and Nathan. Would be a solid move for Rangers
lol @blue jay fans… They were 101% sure that they got darvish
I’m a Jays fan and I think it’s hilarious how so many are furious. I must admit I was pretty excited for the announcement tho and disappointed when it was “reported” it was Texas. But, meh..I trust AA and he is staying the course. I guess Jays fan know how it feels to lose someone and are not weeping really bad like The north korean people I saw today on video.
They were paid by the government to cry for that video. Nothing coming out of that country is believing able. I mean, Kim Jong shot a 38 under par with 11 holes in one on his first and only golf outing.
But there were 17 Security Gaurd witnesses that confirmed it :) lol
i dont think i ever got more than 70% sure we were gonna get him.
the media coverage was pretty much 100% speculation when it came to the jays, cause they say nothing about anything and the only people who knew the bidders were the mlb. even the nippon ham people didnt know.
other than the teams who said they didnt bid, all the reports of who bid how much was complete bull. we dont even know that the yanks or cubs bid modestly as was reported.
i also think the rangers did a great job of managing expectations right from the beginning of this whole darvish thing. there was even an early report out that ryan said they werent going to bid at all. most of the reports out of texas writers said that the jays had won or had put in a monster bid, and many of the unnamed AL officials (maybe rangers officials?) said the jays had likely won. the rangers ended up looking like the underdogs, which is a great way to soften the blow to your fans if in fact you dont win or to create even more excitement if you do.
obviously i`m just speculating and i`m probably being paranoid, but i think the jays cone of silence may have been taken advantage of again.
Can’t mistake the passion though.
lol @blue jay fans… They were 101% sure that they got darvish
What a fantastic pitching staff JD has put together. The average age in the rotation is astonishing. Too bad the offense lacks punch, but then again that has been a problem in Texas for years…
Rotation:
Holland
Harrison
Lewis (Perez in 2012)
Darvish
Feliz
Bullpen:
Nathan
Adams
Ogando
Uehara
Lowe
Scheppers or Kirkman
Feldman
Lefty to be named later, of the LOOGY variety.
We still have to sign Darvish.
Texas might want Yu, but Yu might not want Texas.
And I can guarantee they aren’t paying over $100 million for yu to have him as a 4th starter. you might want to adjust that. lol
It’s early and my sarcasm meter is running slow. I hope you were being sarcastic about the Rangers offense lacking punch lol
that pitching staff honestly isnt as great as you think. lewis, harrison, and holland are good middle of the rotation starters. holland is inconsistent, lewis is regressing and not gona get any better. harrison is at best a low tier #2 in my opinion. and who knows how feliz is gona fare over 150+ innings in a season? not to mention, darvish isnt even signed yet and even if he does sign, theres no guarantee how he will do. cj wilson was great the past two seasons. i mean darvish MAY pitch well but i highly doubt he can perform better than wilson has pitched in the past two seasons cause hes put up pretty strong numbers as a starter.
Lewis was injured for all of 2011 – it’s pretty likely the ‘regression’ was his hip injury. Hopefully, that’s healed up in time for next year.
Holland has improved massively, and shows no signs of that stopping. I would be very surprised if he didn’t show more and more consistency as the 2012 season goes on.
Feliz is an unknown, but has a huge amount of potential. Let Feldman stand in every now and then to help keep Feliz’s innings down.
No real comment on Darvish. I think he’ll blow CJ out of the water, but that’s such an instinct thing that I won’t really try to argue it.
Young pitchers with the Maddux brothers and Nolan Ryan there to mentor them? That’s a combination that I think will pay out quite well.
As a Jays fan, I am upset we didn’t get Darvish.
Even though he is a lot of money, I think it is worth the risk. Unless AA gets Garza or Shields, I don’t think they are going to sign Prince.
It wasn’t going to be one or the other, It was both or none. (Referring to a top starting pitcher and Prince).
Us Jays fans might have to wait another year for Rogers to spend money.
Jays fans are starting to sound like Cubs fans… “Maybe next year!”
Jays have a solid front office, but I wouldn’t anticipate them spending any big $ until they actually do it. Other then that it’s all talk. Just like everyone was claiming the Marlins wanting to spend was all BS until they actually did it.
I’m already sick of this guy
Time for us Rangers fans to learn basic Japanese so we can make signs to hold up at the ballpark like the Mariners fans have been making for the last 10 years.
Yeah but the Mariners actually have a lot of Japanese people in the stands. Sorry but cowboy hats and attempts to write in Japanese dont mix.
The Rangers actually have a large Asian following. I’ve been a season ticket holder for a while; last year and this year there were a ton of Asian Rangers fans in attendance. DFW in general has a large Asian population. I think he’ll be fine.
I’m shocked I was able to recognize “DFW” as meaning Dallas Forth-Worth. I don’t think I’ve ever said, written, or typed that at any point in my life.
You’ve obviously never been to DFW Airport or anywhere near the metroplex
Large Asian Market is being generous…
People in Texas will be lucky if they can spell Darvish….(completely joking)
Congrats Ranger fans :)
god dammit. He was supposed to go to the Cubs.
Darvish isn’t signing anything less than 5yrs at 15mil per. Or else he waits til next season and gets a better deal because of no posting fee.
No, no he won’t. He cannot be a Free agent until after 2013. He will be signing with Texas no matter how much he threatens(or his agents threaten) he will go back to Japan.
5 years at 12-15M per.
Assuming he settles for a wilson like contract.
That’s total investment around 125M.
Tex gonna make some serious money in marketing Darvish just like Ms did with Ichiro which makes up for the posting fee easily.
So basically, TEX only pay 60M/5 yrs for a much better replacement than Wilson. Nice business decision here by the rangers.
“IF” Darvish puts up ERA under 3.6, I would say the rangers win.
All that revenue you speak of will be split equally amongst all the teams in the leauge.
You do know that Texas has a terrible asian market (having lived there for 5 yrs), we represent the Red White and Blue. There is a reason why Darvish wanted a “West Coast Team” aka Seattle. Don’t try to talk out of ur a** and suggest Darvish will bring Texas “Serious Money.” I dont think anybody in Texas will be rushing to buy a Darvish jersey. If Darvish brings any revenue it will be to the entire league as Zuidvogels said.
You do know that Texas has a terrible asian market (having lived there for 5 yrs), we represent the Red White and Blue. There is a reason why Darvish wanted a “West Coast Team” aka Seattle. Don’t try to talk out of ur a** and suggest Darvish will bring Texas “Serious Money.” I dont think anybody in Texas will be rushing to buy a Darvish jersey. If Darvish brings any revenue it will be to the entire league as Zuidvogels said.
Only MLB merchandise is equally shared. Yu has something that Wilson doesn’t have which is called “Star quality”. Jetter,Pujols, Ichiro bring in casual fans and their money to the field.
Those super stars will also affect on how teams negotiate their the Local TV deal which is sole revenue.
Not including tourist economy for the city, commercial on all kinds of products, tv deal in Japan etc.
Jays
Congrats guys! He’s got nasty stuff
thats because the rangers developed players that started contributing. but be warned, the more you win the more you gotta spend. theyll be around 120 mil this year especially if they sign darvish. and well over 120 mil when the big hitters finally start getting big contracts (hamilton, kinsler, cruz, etc) and when all the young kids start getting paid more and more in arbitration. meaning in 2012 theyll prob be around top 6 in payroll and the next couple of years easily into the top 5. this isnt a bad thing. it just means when you win more you want to keep winning and when you win you make more money so you spend more money and you make more money. thats how the yankees have done it for years and what the red sox and phillies have done more recently.
I think Yu is better than Daisuke.
by a lot.
51.7 million dollars=a little over 4 billion yen…holy crap
Good question, does hope spring eternal?
anyone think he wont sign?
Wow, that’s extremely record shattering… a whopping 600k over. In all seriousness, this is good for Texas. Hope they’re able to land their man.
So fellas, Who do the Jays go after now? Garza, Shields, Gio? Or just settle with what we have? Anyone thinks they make a huge run for Prince now? Since we didn’t spend all that $$$ on Darvish, I wouldn’t bet that AA will cave and give him more then 5 years but who knows, looking forwards to your guys opinion. Thanks
this process of paying for signing international players is terrible for baseball….this guy is gonna get paid a ton of money and dollars to donuts says he turns out to be a carbon copy of every other pitcher out of japan-garbage….the games different over there and while the hitters have reasonable success, Ichiro the lone exception….the pitchers are usually flops, i.e. Hideki Irabu, Dice-k had 2 good years and then turned to junk
Except Darvish has a better build, is younger and has way better stuff with insane breaking pitches. I think he’ll be just fine and he should fit in perfect for the type of pitcher that can succeed in Arlington.
Hmmm… 51.7 M posting fees + the contract for a guy that never pitched in the MLB. I though the Rangers didn’t have the money to re-sign Wilson… Oh wait…
i won’t speak for them, but they are vastly different scenarios
the posting fee represents a $50 mil hit to the budget THIS SEASON, not the payroll over the next 5. so therefore, despite the time value of money, it can be more easily absorbed than if it were spread over a contract.
so you’re really looking at an investment of roughly $14m/year tying them down over the next five years. contrast that with Fielder, who will demand at least $40 more million in total and at least three more years on his deal, all of which will be factored into payroll, and whose body type is intimidating for signing teams. plus, despite the struggles of Lind, their offense seems much better off than their rotation, and 1B doesn’t seem to be a glaring need if Lind can put up semi-respectable numbers, which we all know he is capable of.
i’m not agreeing with their point of view, nor am i disagreeing. but you’re not comparing apples to apples.
EDIT: this was intended as a response, but whatevs
Let’s see if Texas can stop their streak of losing their ace to free agency every season
Calling Wilson an ace is rather generous
Well Colby will probably be the Rangers “#1” going into this next season and if he puts up another 14 or 15 wins with about 200 innings he will more than likely be gone with free agency. So if we replace the word “ace” with “#1 in the rotation” then the streak could very well continue.
The Rangers look as if they are trying to build a young core of pitchers that will either be under team control or standing contract for several years.
I wonder how much of the Rangers pursuit of Darvish had to do with the Angels picking up Pujols and Wilson this offseason. I would’ve really liked to see him in a Jays uniform but it was probably good we didn’t submit the highest bid as we are still a few pieces away from contending. Good luck to Darvish. I think he’s gonna be a really special pitcher.