Yu Darvish Could be Posted After Winter Meetings
There has been much speculation surrounding Yu Darvish and his possible posting this winter. Many believed the event would surely happen, as the potential money would be too good for Darvish to pass up. But Darvish’s pending divorce and father have impeded the posting process early this offseason. Now, Ken Rosenthol of Fox Sports is reporting that Darvish could be posted as early as next week, following the Winter Meetings.
Two of Rosenthol’s sources with knowledge of Darvish’s situation said that the 25-year-old is likely to be posted after next week’s Winter Meetings, which run through Thursday.
But there are several factors still in play regarding Darvish.
Farsad Darvish, Yu’s father, came out last night and told the Japanese news service Sponichi that his son’s current timetable “does not say anything about making a decision in December”. Instead, Farsad said that Darvish is continuing discussions with his current team, the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, and that a decision will most likely be made “in mid-to-late-January”.
This timing would put Darvish at a severe disadvantage regarding negotiations because most clubs aim to have their holes filled by the end of December. Because all but the “wealthiest major league clubs” have their budgets set by mid-January, Darvish would be limiting his options.
One major league source told Rosenthol that if he were Darvish, he’d want to be hitting the market now. The source said that he’d “want to make my announcement at the start of the Winter Meetings”.
Beyond his father’s statements, there are several other interesting behind-the-scenes situations revolving around Darvish. The right-hander is going through a divorce, and it was rumored that he and his lawyer would like to have it resolved before Darvish hits major league baseball. If he would be posted before the divorce is settled, Darvish’s new salary would be counted toward the agreement.
Another player in this, the Nippon-Ham Fighters, seem ready to post their star player. While this may seem counter-productive, the club is reportedly ready to collect Darvish’s mammoth posting fee. The Fighters apparently wanted to post Darvish last season, and when the starter decided to stay in Japan the team had to “scramble to squeeze his salary into its budget”.
Whatever the case, the resounding opinion that Rosenthol is hearing from team executives is that “it just doesn’t make sense” for Darvish to wait.
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