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Yu Darvish

Hiroki Kuroda May Be Nearing Deal

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Yahoo’s Tim Brown heard yesterday that Hiroki Kuroda was close to agreeing to a new contract. However, it’s not clear which team is nearing a deal with the right-hander. Here are the details and more of Brown’s links from around MLB:

  • The Mariners, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Rangers, Red Sox and Yankees were among the teams that informed Brown they were not the team nearing a deal with Kuroda.
  • The Dodgers didn’t scout Yoenis Cespedes in earnest or consider bidding on Yu Darvish, Brown reports. It cost the Rangers $51.7MM for the rights to negotiate with Darvish and Cespedes figures to cost tens of millions as well, so the players are too expensive for the cash-strapped Dodgers to consider.
  • Carlos Beltran figures to agree to terms by Sunday. His market includes the Cardinals, Blue Jays, Red Sox and a fourth team, possibly the Rays. Beltran is weighing two and three-year offers, Brown reports.

Yu Darvish Bidding Reactions

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The Rangers won the bidding for Japanese right-hander Yu Darvish last night and while the $51.7MM bid doesn't assure Texas of Darvish himself, it does mean we're in for 30 days of negotiations between the team and agent Arn Tellem. Here are some reactions to the news from around MLB:

  • Darvish celebrated the announcement that the Rangers had made a record bid for the right to discuss a contract with him by working out, Yahoo's Jeff Passan writes.
  • GM Jon Daniels acknowledged last night that the deal will have an impact on other moves the team makes, but says the Angels’ aggressive moves did not affect Texas’ approach to Darvish (Twitter links via Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest.com).
  • Rangers ownership made an exception and decided to spend despite the financial issues that threatened to limit their offseason extravagance a week ago, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports.
  • Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker expects Darvish to sign with the Rangers, but wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't.
  • Darvish offers the highest possible reward, but carries the highest possible risk, Jim Bowden writes at ESPN.com. Bowden says Darvish has the stuff to be a top-of-the-rotation starter and argues that he is worth taking a risk on.
  • There's every indication that the sides can work out a deal within 30 days, according to Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com.
  • Darvish could be good enough that the Rangers can sustain the loss of C.J. Wilson without slowing down, Richard Justice writes at MLB.com.
  • Blue Jays fans got their hopes up for Darvish and now face staggering disappointment, as Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca writes. However, Davidi hears the Blue Jays "have a number of balls in the air" beyond Darvish.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports looks ahead to what hot stove fans can expect now that the Darvish bidding is over. Scott Boras clients Prince Fielder and Edwin Jackson will draw lots of interest as free agents and Gio Gonzalez figures to be traded. The Blue Jays must obtain a No. 2 starter, Morosi writes.

Rangers Win Bidding For Yu Darvish

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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.

Top Bidder For Darvish To Be Announced Tonight

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10:04pm: A Darvish announcement of some sort appears to be coming in about ten minutes, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca (on Twitter)

8:42pm: MLB won't announce which team won the bidding until Nippon announces that it accepted the bid (assuming the team accepts), Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News clarifies (on Twitter).  The Fighters do not know the identity of the team that won the bid.

6:15pm: The Fighters have "definitely" decided to accept the winning bid, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com tweets.

4:04pm: No firm time is set for the announcement, according to Morosi (Twitter links).  He notes that MLB officials are still waiting for word from Darvish's team and adds that it's just 7am in Japan.

7:40am: The Nippon Ham Fighters will announce their acceptance of the high bidder and the winning team for Yu Darvish tonight, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports, referencing agent Don Nomura.  Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports notes that the announcement will be around 7-8pm central time.  Rumors so far suggest the Blue Jays or Rangers won the bid at an amount exceeding $51MM.

Yu Darvish Rumors: Sunday

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We're likely still a couple days from receiving any official word from MLB and the Nippon-Ham Fighters on the Yu Darvish bidding results. But in the meantime, rumors continue to swirl. Yesterday, we heard the winning bid for Darvish exceeded the $51MM+ posting record set by the Red Sox on Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2006. With the Blue Jays, Rangers, Yankees, and Cubs among the contenders for the Japanese righty, here are today's Darvish rumors, with the latest up top:

  • The Yankees are "not getting [Darvish]" according to Marc Carig of The Star Ledger, citing a person close to the situation. The winning bid was a "ridiculous number," added Carig's source.
  • Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets that he'd be "shocked" if a team besides the Rangers or Blue Jays submitted the highest bid for Darvish.
  • The Cubs' bid was "very low" and they have no illusions of winning the rights to negotiate with Darvish, a source tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.

Winning Darvish Bid Exceeds Matsuzaka’s Record

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It's been three full days since the posting period for Yu Darvish has closed, but we're still waiting to find out which team placed the high bid. That high bid will be a posting process record according to Franz Lidz of SI.com, who hears from Japanese league officials that the winning bid exceeds the $51.1MM the Red Sox paid for the right to negotiate with Daisuke Matsuzaka five years ago. The exact amount is unknown.

Yesterday we heard that the Blue Jays bid north of $40MM, making them the favorites for the 25-year-old right-hander. The Rangers, Yankees, and Cubs also submitted bids for Darvish, while the Red Sox, Nationals, Giants, Athletics, Marlins, Orioles, Mets, Rays, Angels, and Twins did not. Nearly 7,500 MLBTR readers believe he'll land in New York with the Yankees. The Nippon Ham Fighters are expected to accept the high bid just before Tuesday's deadline.

Blue Jays Favored To Win Rights To Yu Darvish

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10:03pm: The Nippon-Ham Fighters are keeping information of the winning bid "very tight," tweets Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan.  A source tells Passan that Darvish himself doesn't know the price of the winning bid.

6:04pm: There are reports from Japan indicating the winning bid for Darvish was around $48MM, tweets MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince.  Castrovince includes a Blue Jays hashtag on his tweet, but notes that nothing is confirmed about either the bid price or the winning team.

12:24pm: The Nationals did not bid on Darvish, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.

7:43am: The Blue Jays bid more than $40MM and possibly close to $50MM for Yu Darvish and are now favorites to win exclusive negotiating rights with him, George A. King III of the New York Post reports. Multiple sources confirm the Post's report to Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio and ESPN.com, who says the Blue Jays "won the bidding" (Twitter link).

The Yankees also posted a bid on Darvish, but it's not expected to top Toronto's bid, according to King. The Rangers made a bid and there's a belief the Cubs made a large bid, the Post reports. Rogers Communications, which owns the Blue Jays, ordered the team to make a "monster" bid, King reports.

The Nippon Ham Fighters have until 4pm CDT on December 20th to accept or reject the high bid for Darvish. The Fighters don't know the identity of the MLB team that won the bidding on Darvish, but they're expected to accept the bid.

Cherington On Madson, Saunders, Melancon, Darvish

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Red Sox GM Ben Cherington appeared on MLB Network Radio's "Inside Pitch" with Jim Bowden this afternoon to speak about the club's offseason plans.  Alex Speier of WEEI.com has a partial transcript of the interview and here are some highlights…

  • Cherington said the Red Sox are looking for rotation depth.  The team is satisfied with Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz at the top of the rotation so the Sox "don’t feel like we’re backed into a place where we need to break the door in for a top-of-the-rotation starter," Cherington said.  "If we can do that and it makes sense for us, then we’ll certainly do that. We’re always looking for ways to do that. But…we’re in good position there and can kind of let the market come to us a little bit."
  • To this end, Cherington said "the timing wasn’t right" for the team to bid on Yu Darvish.
  • Cherington said he had been in contact with Ryan Madson and Joe Saunders' representatives "as well as several other free agent options." 
  • The newly-acquired Mark Melancon projects as Boston's closer, at least for now.  “As I told Mark on the phone when I talked to him, we believe he can close….If the season opened tomorrow, that’s what he’d be doing,” Cherington said.  This, of course, could easily change should the Red Sox sign Madson or trade for Andrew Bailey.
  • The Red Sox have interviewed Brad Arnsberg and Neil Allen about the vacant pitching coach job and also talked to "several" other candidates.

Latest On Bids For Yu Darvish

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6:46pm: The Nippon Ham Fighters are expected to accept a posting price on Darvish just before Tuesday's deadline, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.

2:14pm: There are strong signs the Blue Jays and Rangers made serious bids, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).

9:43am: There's "buzz" that Toronto had a "whopper of an offer," according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (on Twitter). Grant suggests the Rangers bid in the $40-49MM range.

THURSDAY, 7:44am: The Cubs placed a bid on Darvish, according to Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune. The Rangers and Blue Jays placed bids, according to Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio (on Twitter).

WEDNESDAY: The posting system is far from transparent to begin with and tonight’s barrage of tweets, articles and blog posts probably didn’t make it any easier for fans to decipher. If you’d rather skip our lengthy summary of the most recent Yu Darvish rumors and read on to the essentials, you’re in the right place.

The identity of the team that won exclusive negotiating rights with Darvish remains unknown, but here’s what we do know. The deadline for teams to bid for negotiating rights with Darvish via the posting system passed earlier this evening. The Nippon Ham Fighters plan to accept the top bid — and it’s reportedly “sky-high.” Nippon Ham, which doesn't know the identity of the MLB team that won the bidding, has until 4pm CDT on December 20th to accept or reject the high bid. 

The Yankees are the one team that’s known to have placed a bid on the 25-year-old right-hander. Conversely, the Giants, Athletics, Marlins, Mets, Rays, Angels, Twins, Red Sox and Orioles are out of the mix for Darvish, according to tonight’s reports.

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.

AL East Notes: Darvish, Varitek, Orioles

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The AL East will look considerably different if Yu Darvish joins the Yankees or Blue Jays this offseason. Those two clubs had some level of interest in the right-hander, but we don’t yet know whether they won the bidding for him. Here are some AL East links as we await news on Darvish…

  • Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star suggests the Blue Jays would have done well to "go big or go home" in this week's bidding for Darvish. The Blue Jays haven't confirmed how much they bid or even that they placed a bid, but rumors about the team's aggressiveness continue to swirl.
  • The Red Sox will continue talking with Jason Varitek about the possibility of a reunion, GM Ben Cherington said, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. "Our hope is that Tek will always be a part of the Red Sox in some way," Cherington said.
  • Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun suggests the Orioles are looking for more starting pitching and considering upgrades at third base, where Chris Davis and Matt Antonelli are tentatively set to play.
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