The Texas Rangers have officially made a move to replace recently departed free agent ace CJ Wilson. The Rangers reportedly won the bidding for the rights to negotiate with Japanese pitching sensation Yu Darvish. Rangers general manager Jon Daniels bid $51.7 million and now Texas has the chance to bring in a hot right-hander to potentially be the team’s new ace.
The Rangers lost two aces in the past two years when Cliff Lee and Wilson both left via free agency. Lee’s departure proved to be manageable, but Texas knows it can’t endure that kind of loss again.
Texas has never been a big-market club; never been in the running for a high-profile free agent prize. That changed Monday night when Rangers minority owners Bob Simpson and Ray Davis agreed to let Daniels spend the money on the rights to Darvish.
The Japanese phenom reportedly wants a five-year deal worth roughly $15 million per year. Apparently the Rangers are ready to offer that kind of money to a free agent pitcher. Perhaps Texas is finally ready to compete on and off the field.
Follow Jeric Griffin on Twitter @JericGriffin
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