Yu Darvish in Texas to Meet with Rangers
Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News is reporting that Yu Darvish is indeed heading to Texas to visit with the Rangers. Grant reported that Rangers officials have confirmed that “Darvish is in town visiting and touring the area”. Initial news regarding Darvish’s trip to Texas surfaced via a Japanese newspaper late last night.
While Darvish is expected by many to eventually sign with the Rangers, Grant figures this initial visit to likely only be “part of the negotiating process”. The club has invited Darvish to Texas and the Rangers facilities in order to give him a chance to get a better feel for the area. Grant confirms that this will be Darvish’s first trip to Texas.
Negotiations between Darvish and the Rangers likely remain in the opening stages. Last month, Texas submitted a record-setting bid of $51.7 million to win Darvish’s negotiating rights. The Rangers now have until January 18th to work out a deal with Darvish and his agent.
It’s rumored that Darvish could be seeking a deal in the five-year, $75 million range, though neither his agent nor Rangers general manager Jon Daniels has spoken openly regarding the negotiation.
According to the earlier report out of Japan, Darvish’s stay in Texas isn’t expected to be a very lengthy one. After his short stay with the Rangers, Darvish reportedly plans to return to Japan in order to begin working out for the upcoming season.
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