The Yu Darvish sweepstakes waiting game
Posted December 16, 2011 3:13 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
As the baseball world continues to await the winner of the Yu Darvish sweepstakes, the Blue Jays continue to be linked to the star pitcher.
According to former Washington Nationals GM and ESPN analyst Jim Bowden at least four teams: the Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs have submitted bids for the Japanese star pitcher.
The Washington Nationals and Seattle Mariners have also been rumoured to be interested in Darvish’s services.
On Wednesday published reports indicated the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Boston Red Sox did not submit a bid.
This morning Dallas Morning News baseball columnist Evan Grant posted the following on his Twitter account:
“The “buzz” is that Toronto had whopper of offer on Darvish. Many reasons for Jays to bid more than $50mm. Believe Rangers bid. Prob. in $40s.”
Japan is 14 hours ahead of New York/Toronto and it’s interesting to note that earlier this month when the Yankees won the bid for infielder Hiroyuki Nakajima, MLB made the announcement just after 3 p.m. ET.
In the meantime, the waiting game continues
How does the posting system work?
A Japanese team-in Darvish’s case the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters-decide to “post” or make the services of a player available to the highest-bidding MLB team via a silent auction. If the team decides to accept the winning bid, the MLB team will then have 30 days to sign Darvish to a major league contract. If he doesn’t sign, Darvish would return to Japan and the bid money would return to the MLB club.
When will a winner be announced?
The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters have four business days to decide whether they will accept the winning bid after 5 p.m. Wednesday, but don’t be surprised if the name of the winning team leaks out before the weekend.
Why is the posting system in place?
In 1997 the San Diego Padres-no doubt influenced by the success their divisional rival Los Angeles Dodgers had enjoyed with Hideo Nomo-bought the contract of Hideki Irabu from the Chiba Lotte Marines. Problems arose when other MLB teams cried foul over their inability to bid on Irabu and when Irabu refused to play for the Padres, demanding a trade to the New York Yankees. In response, MLB and Japan Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) created the posting process.
What makes Darvish so special?
His age: At 25, he poses the rare opportunity for a team to acquire a starting pitcher just entering the prime of his career.
His body: At 6′ 5″, 215 lbs Darvish has an attractive frame for talent evaluators who might otherwise be concerned about his durability (see Dice-K).
His 2011 numbers: 232 IP, 276 Ks, 38 BB, 1.44 ERA, 0.83 WHIP.
His charisma: Born to an Iranian father and a Japanese mother, Darvish’s exotic good looks and fiery mound presence have made him a favourite with both sexes.
His stuff: Darvish throws a four-seam fastball that usually sits between 91 to 94 m.p.h. complimented by a viscious slurve. He can also mix things up with a two-seam fastball, splitter and a change.
