As expected, the Texas Rangers beat Wednesday’s deadline to sign Japanese star pitcher Yu Darvish, but the Rangers still are behind the beefed-up Los Angeles Angels in terms of Bovada odds to win the American League West, much less three-peat as AL champions.
Texas won the right to sign Darvish with a $51.7 million posting bid in December and had 30 days to agree to a contract. If the sides had not agreed by Wednesday, Darvish would have had to return to Japan to pitch. But the right-hander, considered the best pitching prospect ever out of Japan, agreed to a six-year, $60 million deal.
The worry, of course, is that Darvish will flame out in the United States, much like pitchers such as Hideki Nomo and Daisuke Matsuzaka did after a few years of success. But at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, Darvish is taller and bigger than most Japanese pitchers who’ve come over to the U.S. he also dominated Japanese competition much more than Nomo or Matsuzaka did; Darvish’s worst ERA over the last five years (1.88) is lower than the best ERA ever posted in Japan by Nomo or Matsuzaka.
Darvish’s expressions of competitive zeal — fist pumps and other mound histrionics — also set him apart from many of his predecessors. Not since the Red Sox spent a little more than $100 million to acquire Matsuzaka before the 2007 season has there been this much anticipation and cost for a Japanese pitcher.
Darvish was 18-6 with a 1.44 ERA last season. Over seven seasons, he was 93-28 with a 1.99 ERA and has not had an ERA over 1.88 since he was 19. Essentially, Darvish takes the rotation spot of former Rangers ace C.J. Wilson, who signed with the AL West-rival Angels this offseason. And of course the Halos also signed Albert Pujols, making them the American League favorites on Bovada’s MLB baseball futures.
Darvish joins a deep rotation that already includes Derek Holland, Matt Harrison, Neftali Feliz, who had been the Rangers’ closer, and Colby Lewis or Alexi Ogando. One of those, probably Ogando, will head to the bullpen. Texas earlier this offseason had signed former Twin Joe Nathanto replace Feliz.
The starting pitching edge between Texas and Los Angeles still would have to go to the Angels withJered Weaver, Wilson, Dan Haren and Ervin Santana, but Texas still appears to have the better lineup. It should be a close race all season out West.
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Tags: MLB Baseball
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