Yu Darvish Posting: Ranking the Contenders to Win the Negotiation Rights

While a number of free agents have gone off of the market, there is about to be one more that is added on. Yu Darvish will finally be coming to America.

He announced his decision on his own blog, which has been translated here by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker and his agent. Don Nomuara confirmed this information as well.

Darvish has had a dominant career in Japan and his numbers in 2011 were beyond impressive. He posted a 1.44 ERA and absurdly low 0.83 WHIP with a 10.7 K/9 rate in 232 innings.

There will be a number of teams who bid on Darvish during the posting process, and the winning bid will likely exceed $40 million.

No. 6 Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles have had success bringing in Japanese players before and they have an interest in Yu Darvish. They are willing to spend money in the bidding process, but it is hard to see them coming out on top.

If the did win the right to negotiate with Darvish, they would need to convince him to come to a team that is still in a building mode. This may be a lot easier said then done.

No. 5 Miami Marlins

Just a few months ago this idea would have been written off very quickly. However, with their signings of Heath Bell, Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle, it is clear that the Miami Marlins are willing to spend money.

The Marlins are still making a run at C.J. Wilson and could view Darvish as an alternative if they are not able to sign Wilson. They have the money available to go after him.

No. 4 Toronto Blue Jays

Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopolus has seen Darvish pitch in Japan and was very impressed with his performance. Toronto has been connected to Darvish ever since the posting rumors for this offseason began.

The Blue Jays may have some problems finding enough cash to pony up to place the highest bid for Darvish, but it is not out of the question. He would be a huge upgrade for their starting rotation.

No. 3 Washington Nationals

Imagine a one-two punch of Stephen Strasburg and Yu Darvish. That could become a reality for the Washington Nationals in 2012.

The team has shown that it is willing to spend the big money necessary to compete in the National League East. Winning the bidding for Darvish and then signing him to a deal would add to the Nationals already bright future. 

No. 2 New York Yankees

It is a well known fact that the New York Yankees are looking to upgrade their starting rotation this winter. They have not really made a play at any of the top pitchers on the market to this point.

The Yankees may have been waiting for Darvish to be posted. They have already won the rights to negotiate with Hiroyuki Nakajima this winter and Darvish could be the second Japanese player they bring in. It is also important to note that the Yankees can never be underestimated when it comes to big name players.

No. 1 Texas Rangers

There are few teams out there that are more interested in Yu Darvish than the Texas Rangers. They do not believe they'll be able to retain C.J. Wilson and realize they need to improve their rotation.

Rangers GM Jon Daniels has already seen Darvish pitch and like everyone else who has watched him, he came away impressed. The money is there for the Rangers to make a bid on Darvish and he certainly could be pitching in Texas come Opening Day.