Rangers Win Rights To Darvish

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Report: Yanks Not Getting Darvish

Just another report to confirm what most of us already knew. Here's the update via Marc Carig:

If Japanese pitching sensation Yu Darvish indeed throws his first major league pitch next season, it will not be in a Yankees uniform.

The Yankees are "not getting him," a person with knowledge of the situation said today, on condition of anonymity because the posting process is still ongoing. Darvish's Japanese team has until Tuesday to decide whether to accept the highest bid to negotiate with Darvish.

The Yankees submitted a bid. But the only way they can emerge with Darvish is if it proves to be the highest on the table, and the person with knowledge said the Yankees' bid will not be high enough to top those they believe were submitted by a pair of American League rivals, the Rangers and Blue Jays.

"A ridiculous number," the person with knowledge said, while declining to offer exact figures.

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Winning Bid For Darvish Higher Than Dice-K's

From Franz Lidz:

Contrary to published reports, the top sealed bid submitted for star Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish on Wednesday was the highest in the history of the posting process, exceeding the record $51.1 million fee that the Boston Red Sox paid the Seibu Lions for the rights to negotiate with Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2006, according to Japanese league officials.

Though the identity of the major league franchise that won exclusive negotiating rights to the 25-year-old right-hander has yet to be revealed, Japanese league officials say that the offer to Darvish's team, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, is higher than the $40-48 million range that has been reported in the U.S. and Japan.

Wow, with the recent failures of Japanese pitchers I didn't think it would be that high. Oh well, still wish he was headed to the Bronx.

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Looks Like The Jays Won The Darvish Bidding

From George A. King III:

Having made a posting bid above $40 million and possibly close to $50 million, the Blue Jays are the favorites to land the negotiating rights to Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish.

There is a belief the Cubs also made a large bid on the right-hander but a number hasn’t been attached to their bid.

The Yankees made a bid Wednesday night, but it’s not expected to top what the Blue Jays submitted. The Rangers are also believed to have bid.

According to several sources with knowledge of the situation, the Blue Jays’ made the monster bid on orders from owner Rogers Communications.

By Tuesday at 5 p.m. EST, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, for whom Darvish pitched the past seven years, will either accept the highest bid without knowing the identity of the team or reject it.

If accepted, the winning club will have 30 days to cut a deal with Darvish...

Great, not only will the Yankees not sign Darvish, but he's likely headed to a division rival.

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Yanks Did Bid On Darvish

There are also rumors flying around that the Yankees bid was a modest one, but I believe that's just speculation at this point. However, if that was the case than the Yankees most likely won't be the winners.

If you're wondering it'll be a few days until we hear who won the bidding:

I'd really like to find out that the Yankees made the winning bid here, although itd doesn't seem likely.

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Darvish Announces He's Coming To America

From the AP:

Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish ended months of speculation today by saying he intends to make a move to Major League Baseball.

The 25-year-old right-hander, considered the best pitcher in the Japanese professional leagues, wrote on his blog that he had decided to use the posting system, which allows MLB teams to bid for the negotiating rights to Japanese players who have yet to become free agents.

"I have decided to use the posting system," he said. "I wanted to tell my fans directly, so that is why I am posting this on my blog."

...

"I owe a lot of thanks to my team," Darvish said, adding he would provide more details at an upcoming news conference.

And let the bidding begin!

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A Brief Blueprint for the Off-Season

Sign Mark Buehrle

Buehrle has started at least thirty games and tossed at least 201 IP in each of the last eleven seasons, and his ERA and FIP have been below-average exactly once in his career, way back in 2006. While he may not represent the "1B" to Sabathia's "1A" that many Yankees fans are clamoring for, such a pitcher does not exist on the market (and paying C.J. Wilson as if he is such a pitcher is foolhardy at best). Buehrle's consistency makes up for the modest upside, and I would have a great deal of faith in him as the Yankees Game 2 starter.

Sign Yu Darvish

You can find further thoughts on Darvish here. Suffice it to say that I believe in his potential, and that upside is worth the gamble, particularly when his posting fee would not count against the luxury tax. This assumes, of course, that Darvish is posted ... which is apparently fifty-fifty at this juncture.

Re-Sign Andruw Jones

Jones battered left-handed pitchers to the tune of a .286/.384/.540 slash line in 2011, good for a 151 wRC+, and he remains a solid defender in both left and right-field. In my mind, there isn't a better option on the market.

Trade A.J. Burnett

This is easier said than done, of course - but the Braves ability to unload Derek Lowe gives me the faintest glimmer of hope. Burnett has the look of a sunk cost at this juncture, and freeing up a roster spot and $6 MM or so (assuming the Yankees pick up around $10 MM per season) would be quite beneficial. If the Yankees can acquire a lottery ticket prospect along the way, that's just gravy.

Follow me on Twitter - @Domenic Lanza

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Darvish to Come To The States? It's 50-50

Yu Darvish's father, Farsa Darvish, spoke about his son's future this weekend and Yu's move to the states might not be as likely as once thought:

“Yu and I are talking about having a family meeting once the Nippon Series is over.”

“At this point it’s about 50-50.”

Jeff Passan has more on the topic. Sources are saying that Darvish wants to change baseball.... in Japan. Darvish also apparently has a problem with the posting system.

(Hat-tip to LoHud)

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Igawa Won't Stop Yanks From Going After Darvish

From Mark Feinsand:

After wasting $46 million on Kei Igawa over the past five years, would the Yankees be willing to roll the dice on another Japanese pitcher if Yu Darvish becomes available?

It’s very possible.

Hal Steinbrenner said Wednesday that the Igawa disaster wouldn’t stop the Yankees from signing another Japanese pitcher if that’s the move they believe makes the most sense.

“Every person is different; every player is different,” Steinbrenner said. “We’re going to look at every single one. We’re going to look at every single option, and we’re going to analyze it. It will be a go or no-go, but we look at each person as an individual.”

...

“It’s difficult when you don’t have as much film on a player to watch, and you don’t have as many scouts who have laid eyes on that player before,” Steinbrenner said of the risk associated with signing players from places such as Japan or Cuba. “There’s no doubt it’s difficult, but I had never heard of El Duque until he came here.

“There have certainly been players that came out of those countries that have been great. But there’s less intel and there’s less to go on, so you’ve really got to rely on the guys that have seen him down there, and the scouts that are down there on a full-time basis. But there’s no doubt it’s a more difficult decision.”

Glad to see the Yankees aren't going to let the Igawa mistake stop them from taking a real look at Darvish. From everything I've seen and read, he looks like the best pitcher to come out of Japan, and at least appears to have the biggest upside.

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Scouts Say Buehrle's a Better Fit For Yanks Than Wilson

From Mark Feinsand:

C.J. Wilson is considered the best pitcher on the free agent market in most circles. Yet, when it comes to fitting inside the often hectic Yankees’ universe, several Major League talent evaluators believe Mark Buehrle might be the better fit.

“If you are looking for value, it’s Buehrle because the Yankees have CC Sabathia and aren’t looking for an ace,’’ an AL Central evaluator said of the 32-year-old Buehrle, who finished a four-year, $56 million deal with the White Sox this season.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has spoken briefly with representatives for Roy Oswalt, Edwin Jackson and Wilson, and plans to contact Jeff Berry, who represents Buehrle.

...

Three evaluators tabbed Buehrle over Wilson for the Yankees and two picked Wilson even though they admitted having questions whether the opinionated Wilson would be a good fit in New York.

“Stuff-wise, he is at 91 to 93. He has enough deception and just wild enough,’’ a veteran Wilson watcher said. “His stuff is more crisp than Buehrle’s.’’

I still like Wilson as the Yanks top FA pitching target. At least as far as American players go. Darvish, as I've said, is the wild card in all of this. The article even goes on to say that while the Yankees are showing interest in Wilson and Buehrle, their top priority may end up being Darvish.

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Cashman Talks To Wilson's Agent & Some Info on Darvish

From George A. King III:

True to his word, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman reached out to C.J. Wilson’s agent yesterday.

“I would describe it as routine,” Cashman said of his talk with Bob Garber, Wilson’s representative.

...

And since Cashman said this week that even after retaining CC Sabathia that starting pitching remains a priority, it figures that Garber and the Yankees will continue talking.

King also mentions that the Yankees are monitoring Darvish, and are expected to take looks at Edwin Jackson, Mark Buehrle and Roy Oswalt. (Earlier this week, it was reported that the Yankees did not have any interest in Oswalt, but this wouldn't exactly be the first false rumor we've heard.

Despite his poor October, I am in favor of signing Wilson. The bottom line is that since moving to the starting rotation in 2010 he's been one of the better pitchers in the AL, and if you can add him as a no. 2 behind CC for a reasonable contract the Yankees should do it.

Darvish is the wild card in all of this.

“He’s the real deal,” says ex-Yankee Darrell Rasner, who has spent the last three years pitching against Darvish for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in the Pacific League. “He’s the best pitcher there, in my opinion, and he’d do well in the States. He’s got a winning mentality.

“He seemed to toy with guys in Japan sometimes. When he needs to dial it up, he can really go after somebody with strikeout stuff. I’ve seen him add velocity late, get his fastball up to 96-plus (miles per hour) with guys in scoring position and strike out a couple of hitters.”

...

“The potential, it’s all there,” says Harold Reynolds, the former All-Star who is now an analyst for MLB Network and saw Darvish pitch in the WBC. “He can be a frontline starter and he’d have a lot of interest here.

“I’d be shocked if the Red Sox and the Yankees were not in it, particularly the Yankees,” Reynolds added. “You look at the Yankees, the state of their pitching. If he’s everything people say he is, and he lives up to it, he can be a dominating force in your rotation for five or six years.”

...

“I do think he’s coming,” said the executive, who has watched Darvish multiple times. “Because of the high-profile personnel that went there, and there’s not a lot of high-level pitching in this free-agent market. Maybe that encourages Darvish to make the move.”

But several baseball executives wondered if the Red Sox and Yankees’ struggles with recent Japanese imports — Daisuke Matsuzaka and Kei Igawa — might scare off some suitors. Neither pitcher now seems worth their price tags — $103 million for Matsuzaka, more than $46 million for Igawa.

...one [MLB exec] says, “He’s better than Matsuzaka. His body is unique and he added some good weight over the last year (about 20 pounds to get to about 200 pounds). The talent level is very high-end.

He also has apparently signed-on with Arn Tellem--Hideki Matsui's agent--to deal with MLB if he does decide to leave Japan.

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