Yu Darvish to Rangers: Texas Shows They Aren't Content with Being Mediocre

Forget Cliff Lee and C.J. Wilson, the Texas Rangers will have 25-year-old Yu Darvish to help them dominate the AL again if they can agree on a contract now.

At least that’s what they hope.

The Rangers went all in with their $51.7 million bid to just negotiate with the Japanese star in order to sign him to a long-term deal with the team. Darvish and Texas have 30 days to negotiate a contract.

Darvish, who is widely regarded as the best pitcher in Japan right now and one of the best pitchers to come out of Japan ever, will look to become a staple at the top of the Texas rotation for a long time. That’s what the Rangers hope as well.

The team wants to avoid the Daisuke Matsuzaka mess that the Red Sox got themselves in by taking it slow with their star (if they can sign him). While most of the Japanese stars that come to the Major Leagues get eaten up by the big stage, Darvish has all of the tools to become one of the best players in MLB.

And the Texas Rangers need him.

With ace Cliff Lee leaving via free agency to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2010 and this offseason seeing C.J. Wilson join Albert Pujols on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the Rangers had to think big if they wanted to head back to their third straight World Series.

The offense will be just as powerful this season, with Josh Hamilton, Adrian Beltre and Nelson Cruz still patrolling the plate. The questions will be on the mound.

Texas lacks a real ace, but the hope is that Darvish can step in and embrace the big stage instead of crumble underneath the bright lights.

If Darvish succeeds, the Rangers will be relevant for a long time.

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