Boston Red Sox: 6 Reasons They Should Take a Risk on Yu Darvish

Boston general manager Ben Cherington will have to fill two holes in the Red Sox starting rotation this offseason. Jon Lester and Josh Beckett had a tough time late in the season while Clay Buchholz missed most of the season with an on-going back injury. Besides those three, it is a toss-up of who will be starting in Boston next season.

Daisuke Matsuzaka will continue to rehab for the start of the 2012 season after having Tommy John surgery last season. It was also announced that John Lackey will have the dreaded surgery and miss the entire upcoming season. The aging Tim Wakefield could be re-signed if Boston runs out of options, but that is a long-shot.

In order to show the fans that Boston will rebound after a disappointing end to the 2011 season, Cherington will have to make some major moves in free agency. The player he should target first? Yu Darvish. 

His Name Isn't Daisuke Matsuzaka

It's obvious that Daisuke Matsuzaka has not lived up to the hype that Red Sox Nation expected when Boston went out on a limb and signed him in 2007. The catch with players coming over from Japan is that you have to pay a posting fee, which in a sense is a fee to sign a player who is still under contract. Boston paid over $51 million to win the rights to talk with Matsuzaka before signing him to a $52 million contract. MLB Trade Rumors projects around a $100 million commitment in order to have Darvish pitch in the United States in 2012.

In his first five seasons in Boston, Matsuzaka is 49-30 with 4.25 ERA. He won 18 games in 2008, but has failed to win more than nine since. His inability to pitch in big situations has been a huge concern in Boston, and he has yet to really prove himself as a valuable pitcher in this league. Matsuzaka should be back in Boston during the middle of the season and could be trade bait if he doesn't perform up to expectations before the trade deadline. 

His Numbers Are Crazy

Imagine having a player on your team whose statistics would compare to the greatest pitchers in the game. In 2011, Darvish went 18-6 with an ERA of 1.44, a 10.7 K/9 and a 1.4 BB/9 in 232 innings pitched. Here is where Darvish would have ranked in the MLB this season with those numbers:

Wins (18): Tied-sixth, Jered Weaver

ERA (1.44): first over Clayton Kershaw by almost a full run

K/9 (10.7): first over Zach Greinke by a slim margin

BB/9 (1.4): fifth behind Roy Halladay

IP (232): Tied-10th, Cliff Lee

With numbers compared to the major league stars listed above, how could Davish not succeed? 

He Isn't Represented by Scott Boras

For Ben Cherington to come into Boston and directly deal with arguably the most hated agent in baseball would not be an easy task. Scott Boras represents the biggest and best players in the game and is known for giving general managers a tough time. Boras was the one who negotiated the Matsuzaka deal after Boston won the posting bidding war.

Darvish is represented by Arn Tellem of Wasserman Media Group and Don Nomura. There aren't any current major league players represented by the firm, so it will interesting as to how they approach bringing their superstar to the majors.  

He Has Experience Against Major Leaguers

Even though it is a small sample size, Darvish competed against some of the great players in the MLB during the 2009 World Baseball Classic semifinals. In a game started by Daisuke Matsuzaka, oddly enough, Darvish entered in the ninth inning hoping to clinch a spot in the championship game.

His first opponent was Derek Jeter. He got the Yankees captain to ground out before allowing a base hit to Jimmy Rollins. Darvish then struck out David Wright and Adam Dunn to end the game and send Japan to the championship where they defeated Korea. 

During the 2009 WBC, Darvish was 2-1, appearing in five games, starting two of them. He posted a 2.08 ERA and struck out 20 batters in 13 innings pitched.

He Is Only 25 and in Great Shape

Not many pitchers have had the success of Darvish at such a young age. At only 25, Darvish has had great numbers in Japan and won the World Baseball Classic. The average age of a Boston player last season was just over 29. Jon Lester won 15 games when he was 25 and that was in his third season. Josh Beckett won 16 games at age 25. Darvish has the potential to match these numbers and possibly exceed them with such a talented lineup behind him.

Darvish is also in great shape, especially compared to some of the current Red Sox ("cough" Josh Beckett). He is 6'5'' and weighs 185 lbs, which would compare to the likes of Aroldis Chapman, a taller Cole Hamels or a skinnier Justin Verlander. Maybe if the other players in the Red Sox clubhouse saw someone staying in shape and eating healthy, it could influence the way they live their lives too.

Cherington Needs a Headliner

If there are going to be any changes for the upcoming season, they will be in the starting rotation. Ben Cherington will have to do some research and find two new starters for Boston in 2012. It makes perfect sense to get a guy who has had success overseas and throw him into the mix. He shouldn't have many problems starting off, as only few players would have faced him in the past and it will take some time for coaches and players to figure him out.

A fresh face in the clubhouse could turn out to be the best move for Boston. There is already going to be a new manager, and you can guarantee there will be a slew of new players as well. Let's start Cherington's GM career off on the right foot and sign Yu Darvish to the Boston Red Sox.