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(ESPN) Cool Texas Rangers win right to negotiate with Japanese phenom Yu Darvish for *raises pinky to mouth* 51.7 million dollars   (espn.go.com) divider line 40
More: Cool, Yu Darvish, Darvish, Rangers, Japanese, professional league, Neftali Feliz, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Joe Nathan  
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405 clicks; posted to Sports » on 20 Dec 2011 at 11:43 AM   |  Favorite    |   share:  Share on Twitter share via Email Share on Facebook   more»   |    Get this fabulous T-Shirt and impress the methane out of your friends! shirt it!



40 Comments   (+0 »)
   
 
Minarets
2011-12-20 10:50:06 AM
I am pumped about this signing. Makes the CJ Wilson signing by the Angels a little easier to take.

Rotation next year of:
Derek Holland
Yu Darvish
Colby Lewis
Matt Harrison
Neftali Feliz

With Feldman and Ogando in the bulpen to spot start. Can't wait for pitchers and catchers to report.
 
ThatGuyGreg [TotalFark]
2011-12-20 10:56:56 AM
Yankees learned their lesson.

Red Sox learned their lesson.

I guess it's the Rangers' turn.
 
Pastor of Muppets [TotalFark]
2011-12-20 11:04:03 AM
ThatGuyGreg: Yankees learned their lesson.

Red Sox learned their lesson.

I guess it's the Rangers' turn.

Whereas the Yankees and Red Sox got caught up in the hype, the Rangers have been scouting this guy for two years and let CJ go and didn't make a play for Buehrle b/c this was their plan the whole time.
 
mitchcumstein1 [TotalFark]
2011-12-20 11:14:56 AM
Pastor of Muppets: ThatGuyGreg: Yankees learned their lesson.

Red Sox learned their lesson.

I guess it's the Rangers' turn.

Whereas the Yankees and Red Sox got caught up in the hype, the Rangers have been scouting this guy for two years and let CJ go and didn't make a play for Buehrle b/c this was their plan the whole time.

Yes, I'm sure neither the Red Sox or Yankees had scouted the people that they spent ludicrous sums of money on just to talk to. Hell, I bet they never even saw them pitch.
 
bulldg4life
2011-12-20 11:23:44 AM
What happened to the last 25yo Japanese pitcher with command of 7 pitches that was the best in the Japanese league?

What'd he get? A contract that was $1m per win?

Pastor of Muppets: Whereas the Yankees and Red Sox got caught up in the hype, the Rangers have been scouting this guy for two years

You feel as though the Yankees and Redsox just threw tens of millions of dollars at pitchers without scouting them?

Go find a Daisuke article from 2007 and do a find/replace with Darvish's name and you'll get the articles being put out now. Hell, right down to having some sort of scandal surrounding the dating of a Japanese TV celebrity.
 
mr_a [TotalFark]
2011-12-20 11:44:10 AM
$50M just to talk with the guy? For farks sake, you can talk to the President for $10K.

Something to remember when you wonder why a hot dog costs $10 at a ball park.
 
jayhawk88
2011-12-20 11:48:43 AM
What a completely healthy sport with no financial issues whatsoever.
 
The Bestest
2011-12-20 11:53:44 AM
jayhawk88: What a completely healthy sport with no financial issues whatsoever.

It is, actually. Of the Big 4, MLB is the current longest running league without a labor dispute.

/the posting system IS broken though, but that has much more to do with NPB than MLB
 
Doran
2011-12-20 11:54:31 AM
Minarets: I am pumped about this signing. Makes the CJ Wilson signing by the Angels a little easier to take.

Rotation next year of:
Derek Holland
Yu Darvish
Colby Lewis
Matt Harrison
Neftali Feliz

With Feldman and Ogando in the bulpen to spot start. Can't wait for pitchers and catchers to report.

Blue Jays: Soooo, um... mind giving us one of those guys not named Darvish?

/as a Blue Jays fan, I'm not actually disappointed we missed on this
 
homarjr
2011-12-20 11:54:51 AM
Something I learned today - the NPB baseball is smaller than the MLB baseball.

That can't be a good thing for an imported player.....
 
dragonchild
2011-12-20 11:58:20 AM
Ugh. Yes, Japanese dudes can play. Seriously. But they are not the best of the best, and MLB teams really ought to stop throwing money at them like they're first-ballot HoFers.

By any objective measure the best guys out of Japan are very decent players. But that's it. They're great investments for a few million a year (Hideki Okajima), but pay tens of millions for them and the only possible outcome is disappointment.
 
Harv72b [TotalFark]
2011-12-20 11:59:38 AM
dragonchild: By any objective measure the best guys out of Japan are very decent players. But that's it. They're great investments for a few million a year (Hideki Okajima), but pay tens of millions for them and the only possible outcome is disappointment.

Come on, when have the Rangers ever thrown exorbitant amounts of money at a single player?
 
Loud_Mouth_Soup
2011-12-20 12:00:16 PM
Just to talk. JUST TO TALK.


fark you, baseball. This is why I've not been to a game since 2000. Learn your farking lesson.


Enjoy wasting the money, Texas.
 
MugzyBrown
2011-12-20 12:12:23 PM
Loud_Mouth_Soup: Just to talk. JUST TO TALK.


fark you, baseball. This is why I've not been to a game since 2000. Learn your farking lesson.


Enjoy wasting the money, Texas.

You don't go to baseball games because people spend money?

That makes no sense
 
Ring of Fire
2011-12-20 12:14:20 PM
Wait till they find out in Texas that he's half Iranian.
 
degenerate-afro
2011-12-20 12:22:50 PM
Harv72b: dragonchild: By any objective measure the best guys out of Japan are very decent players. But that's it. They're great investments for a few million a year (Hideki Okajima), but pay tens of millions for them and the only possible outcome is disappointment.

Come on, when have the Rangers ever thrown exorbitant amounts of money at a single player?

To be fair, A-Rod was a better investment than Albert Belle. I'll give it three years before I decide if they wasted their money or not.
 
Sandor at the Zoo
2011-12-20 12:24:43 PM
ThatGuyGreg: Yankees learned their lesson.

Red Sox learned their lesson.

I guess it's the Rangers' turn.

If the lesson is "be careful about throwing money at big name free agents," then I'm pretty sure that's a lesson the Rangers franchise has already learned, and quite well at that. Shiat, they could teach a graduate course on the subject.
 
EvilToni
2011-12-20 12:24:59 PM
Ring of Fire: Wait till they find out in Texas that he's half Iranian.

Around here he just needs to believe in God (Allah is acceptable) and drink a beer with you and people will love him more then CJ Wilson
 
Mrtraveler01
2011-12-20 12:27:53 PM
Damn, it's going to be fun watching the AL West next year
 
The Bestest
2011-12-20 12:28:35 PM
Mrtraveler01: Damn, it's going to be fun watching the AL West next year

Not if you're a Mariners or As fan.
 
Donnchadha [TotalFark]
2011-12-20 12:34:31 PM
Minarets: I am pumped about this signing.

Signing? Who said anything about a signing? This is the fee just to negotiate with him. Granted, if you're serious enough to pony up $51.7 million just to get him to the table, you're probably likely to hand over the rest of the farm as well once he gets there.
 
The Bestest
2011-12-20 12:40:25 PM
Donnchadha: Minarets: I am pumped about this signing.

Signing? Who said anything about a signing? This is the fee just to negotiate with him. Granted, if you're serious enough to pony up $51.7 million just to get him to the table, you're probably likely to hand over the rest of the farm as well once he gets there.

Well, not necessarily. Like I said before, the posting system is completely broken. While it is unlikely, the Rangers could've posted that just to keep Darvish away from everyone else. They get the money back if Darvish doesn't sign.
 
dragonchild
2011-12-20 12:46:00 PM
The Bestest: While it is unlikely, the Rangers could've posted that just to keep Darvish away from everyone else. They get the money back if Darvish doesn't sign.

I agree it's unlikely because of the Rangers' history, but this would actually make sense. $51 million is a "go away" price for a pitching prospect (which this guy is as long as he hasn't thrown a single pitch in the majors), and not a bad way to use money if you get it all back. But it's also uncharacteristic of an MLB front office; you generally work to acquire players, not keep them unemployed. If nothing else, the players' union would quickly notice if they did that regularly.
 
Richard Sauce
2011-12-20 12:57:49 PM
Didn't the Sox win at least 1 WS with Daisuke? I'm a Yanks fan, but I would say he wasn't a total bust by any means.
 
snake_beater
2011-12-20 01:11:37 PM
Hey Jays, maybe you can use that money to sign someone proven, like...oh I don't know, Prince Fielder?

/ducks
 
The Bestest
2011-12-20 01:13:27 PM
snake_beater: Hey Jays, maybe you can use that money to sign someone proven, like...oh I don't know, Prince Fielder?

/ducks

..but Adam Lind!
 
WinoRhino
2011-12-20 01:41:20 PM
Richard Sauce: Didn't the Sox win at least 1 WS with Daisuke? I'm a Yanks fan, but I would say he wasn't a total bust by any means.

In spite of him. The one REALLY good year he had was one of the luckiest on record. He was 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA, but had a 1.3 something WHIP and lead the league in walks. He would put everyone on, but no one would score.
 
Freakin Rican
2011-12-20 01:52:49 PM
Loud_Mouth_Soup: Just to talk. JUST TO TALK.


fark you, baseball. This is why I've not been to a game since 2000. Learn your farking lesson.


Enjoy wasting the money, Texas.

yes it is just to talk BUT if they can not decide on a contract then the club gets their money back.
 
mitchcumstein1 [TotalFark]
2011-12-20 02:02:51 PM
The Bestest: It is, actually. Of the Big 4, MLB is the current longest running league without a labor dispute.

That's because the players, Commissioner and big market owners are perfectly okay with farking the small market teams over, and the small market teams can't do a thing about it.

If you think baseball's financial system is healthy you're insane. The World Series Champions, one of the oldest and proudest clubs in baseball, with one of the biggest, most loyal and devoted fanbases in sports, couldn't afford to sign their best player because it would destroy the team financially for years.
 
The Bestest
2011-12-20 02:10:51 PM
mitchcumstein1: That's because the players, Commissioner and big market owners are perfectly okay with farking the small market teams over, and the small market teams can't do a thing about it. most of the "small market" teams are perfectly happy with cashing in on the system, competition be damned.

To the fan I suppose everything looks heavily weighted in favor of the rich teams, but to the owners, it's the welfare side of the system that's making out like bandits.

There are some smaller market teams that are honestly trying (Tampa, Minny), but for every Rays, there are two Royals.
 
hbk72777
2011-12-20 02:40:57 PM
MugzyBrown: Loud_Mouth_Soup: Just to talk. JUST TO TALK.


fark you, baseball. This is why I've not been to a game since 2000. Learn your farking lesson.


Enjoy wasting the money, Texas.

You don't go to baseball games because people spend money?

That makes no sense

No, he means his beer and hot dog prices just went up again. Every signing comes in higher ticket/ food prices. Unless you're the Angels and signed a huge tv deal
 
mitchcumstein1 [TotalFark]
2011-12-20 02:44:33 PM
The Bestest: mitchcumstein1: That's because the players, Commissioner and big market owners are perfectly okay with farking the small market teams over, and the small market teams can't do a thing about it. most of the "small market" teams are perfectly happy with cashing in on the system, competition be damned.

To the fan I suppose everything looks heavily weighted in favor of the rich teams, but to the owners, it's the welfare side of the system that's making out like bandits.

There are some smaller market teams that are honestly trying (Tampa, Minny), but for every Rays, there are two Royals.

The Royals are trying, it's just when a small market team misfires on a draft pick, or has a bad free agent signing it hurts for years and years. Tampa is good because finally after being terrible for years and years, their draft picks started coming in and they had amazing pitching, what happens when those guys start to move on because the Rays can't pay them? There's a decline, same thing that happened with the Twins. Let's take a look at Milwaukee in two years, they will be the worst team in baseball because they will have lost everybody, except Ryan Braun. Now, the Royals were run for shiat for about a decade, but still, in 1990 the Royals had the highest payroll in baseball at $24 million, how many individual players are going to make that or near that this year? That is staggering inflation and teams not in huge cities are going to struggle to compete.

The system is weighted against the small teams, eventually you will lose the middle of the country, the middle of the country is where kids are still actually playing baseball in mass. If you lose the middle of the country, baseball is farked.
 
SharkTrager
2011-12-20 03:39:08 PM
hbk72777: No, he means his beer and hot dog prices just went up again. Every signing comes in higher ticket/ food prices. Unless you're the Angels and signed a huge tv deal

The Rangers signed a pretty good TV deal last year.
 
GQueue
2011-12-20 03:57:00 PM
Donnchadha: Signing? Who said anything about a signing? This is the fee just to negotiate with him. Granted, if you're serious enough to pony up $51.7 million just to get him to the table, you're probably likely to hand over the rest of the farm as well once he gets there

They pay the whopping sum of zero if they don't sign him. This is the fee that goes to his team if he signs, then there's whatever the contract is on top of it. Somewhat similar to a transfer fee in soccer.
 
4NTLRZ
2011-12-20 05:25:59 PM
homarjr: Something I learned today - the NPB baseball is smaller than the MLB baseball.

That can't be a good thing for an imported player.....

The ball in the Japanese league also has larger seams, so it moves a lot more for a breaking ball pitcher.

As a diehard Ranger fan, I don't know about all this. This guy's never seen Major League hitters and could have a really rough time in the bigs. Not saying they aren't good players, but the Japanese league is pretty much equivalent to AAA ball here in the US.

Although, from what I've heard Darvish is a ground ball pitcher, which is a good thing or else there'd be a lot of balls that probably wouldn't find the ground until, oh, about San Antonio.

This is a really big risk.
 
Donnchadha [TotalFark]
2011-12-20 06:02:21 PM
4NTLRZ: Although, from what I've heard Darvish is a ground ball pitcher, which is a good thing or else there'd be a lot of balls that probably wouldn't find the ground until, oh, about San Antonio.

A ball hit that lands in San Antonio would likely be foul, unless there was a wicked curve on it and a strong easterly wind.
 
4NTLRZ
2011-12-20 06:03:57 PM
mitchcumstein1: The Bestest: mitchcumstein1: That's because the players, Commissioner and big market owners are perfectly okay with farking the small market teams over, and the small market teams can't do a thing about it. most of the "small market" teams are perfectly happy with cashing in on the system, competition be damned.

To the fan I suppose everything looks heavily weighted in favor of the rich teams, but to the owners, it's the welfare side of the system that's making out like bandits.

There are some smaller market teams that are honestly trying (Tampa, Minny), but for every Rays, there are two Royals.

The Royals are trying, it's just when a small market team misfires on a draft pick, or has a bad free agent signing it hurts for years and years. Tampa is good because finally after being terrible for years and years, their draft picks started coming in and they had amazing pitching, what happens when those guys start to move on because the Rays can't pay them? There's a decline, same thing that happened with the Twins. Let's take a look at Milwaukee in two years, they will be the worst team in baseball because they will have lost everybody, except Ryan Braun. Now, the Royals were run for shiat for about a decade, but still, in 1990 the Royals had the highest payroll in baseball at $24 million, how many individual players are going to make that or near that this year? That is staggering inflation and teams not in huge cities are going to struggle to compete.

The system is weighted against the small teams, eventually you will lose the middle of the country, the middle of the country is where kids are still actually playing baseball in mass. If you lose the middle of the country, baseball is farked.

I kinda see what you're saying. Smaller market teams do have sort of an uphill climb and probably have a tougher time retaining talent when players hit the free-agent market. But it's not like the middle of the country is the only place where you have a lot of kids are playing ball. It's always been as huge here in D/FW (the #4 media market) as in small town Texas. And the Rangers have historically been a horrible team.
 
cefm
2011-12-20 06:09:17 PM
His father is Iranian and his Mother is Japanese. Our enemies are breeding......
 
tenton
2011-12-20 09:34:59 PM
cefm: His father is Iranian and his Mother is Japanese. Our enemies are breeding......

World War II was over 60 years ago, man. Let it go.
 
midnightdorifto
2011-12-21 10:23:44 AM
I'd rather take a guy who may or may not choke if we get to the postseason versus a straightedge vegan who we know will choke in the postseason. I'll give the guy a tentative claw and antlers for now. He's a pretty massive guy (6'5'') and has a 95mph fastball and a hard slider. Could be good.

Rumor has it that the guy knows how to party balls. Moreland, Napoli (@TheGreatNapoli is awesome), and Yu would tear up DFW.
 
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