Yu Darvish has been a big talking point for a few days now, ever since his countryman, training partner and seemingly inferior starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka signed a seven-year, $155 million deal with the New York Yankees last Wednesday.
Darvish, of course, was posted by his Japanese club two years ago and signed a six-year deal with the Texas Rangers for $56 million.
You figure it out.
By most accounts, Darvish is the superior pitcher of the two and has established himself as one of the top starting pitchers in the game, while Tanaka is seen as more of a guy who could be a very strong No. 2 pitcher in a good rotation, which is certainly nothing to sneeze at. But an ace? Leave that up to Darvish.
You have to wonder if Yu saw Tanaka's deal and began wondering to himself if he got a raw deal from the Rangers, but judging by what we know of Darvish (which isn't much), he seems to be an intense competitor who wouldn't tank because he feels like he's getting jilted by his club.
Rangers GM Jon Daniels said the team will discuss a new deal for Darvish at some point down the line, but it likely won't be any time soon. And it shouldn't be, as Darvish still has four years left on his deal with the possibility of an opt-out following the 2016 season if he meets a Cy Young Award incentive.
"At some point, we'll sit down and talk with him just like we would on everybody," Daniels told ESPN Dallas. "He still has four years on his deal. I don't see a rush necessarily, but we'll address it at the right time."
