Yu Darvish and Texas Rangers are Close to Signing a Deal

Yu Darvish playing for the Hokkaido
Nippon-Ham Fighters

Yu Darvish wants a 5-year contract. The Rangers want a 6-year contract. Money is not the issue here, both sides have already agreed to a contract that will be comparable to the one Daisuke Matsuzaka received from the Boston Red Sox, which was about $52 million for 6 years ($8.67 m per year). At this point, the deal between the Rangers and Darvish is inevitable, they just need to agree on the length.


Darvish reportedly wants a 5 year contract to pursue free agency faster, as he will both make more money once he is a free agent and the possibility of wanting to join a new team if his tenure with the Rangers doesn't work out.


The Rangers probably want the 6 year contract because they don't want to commit long-term to the Japanese pitcher, but still want to offer him a similar deal to Matsuzaka.


Knowing how quickly deals get done in MLB, expect to hear an official announcement of Darvish joining the Rangers within the week.