7
2010
Japanese Phenom, Yu Darvish, Is On The Mets Radar
An article by Hojo's Mojo
It looks like the Mets are taking a serious look at Japanese sensation, right-handed starting pitcher, Yu Darvish.
Two weeks ago, the Mets and Yankees had scouts on-hand to watch Darvish showing off his electrifying assortment of pitches, all of which he can throw for strikes.
Darvish struck out 10 hitters in that game for his tenth double digit strikeout game of the year, and despite the loss scouts were extremely impressed and abuzz with excitement.
Then this weekend, NPB Tracker reported that Mets scouts were on-hand again and continue to keep a watchful eye on Darvish who has been tabbed by many as the best international pitcher in the world.
There is still no official word that the Nippon Ham Fighters will post Darvish and allow Major League teams to bid for the rights to negotiate exclusively with him, and some have said that as long as the team continues to be a playoff contender they will not risk losing Darvish for fear of fan backlash.
Darvish has been dogged by a few injuries in the previous two seasons, so this season he has pitched every sixth day instead of five and it has helped to keep him effective and injury free.
The 24-year old phenom throws a 96-97 mph explosive fastball as well as five other pitches which he can command including a hard slider with a wicked break and a deceptive splitter that has become one of his key out pitches. Darvish has ditched the screwball which many attributed to his previous arm troubles. He is currently the highest paid pitcher in Japanese Baseball.
It’s hard to say how serious a run the Mets would make at Darvish if he does become available, but unless they intend to make a far better effort than they did for Yuniesky Maya and Aroldis Chapman, they could just be wasting our time and theirs. The Yankees figure to be the strongest and most aggressive suitor for Darvish.
Here is a video of Darvish highlighting some of his most exciting moments.
About the Author: Rob Johnson
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 26 | 17 | .605 | - |
| Nationals | 25 | 17 | .595 | 0.5 |
| Marlins | 23 | 19 | .548 | 2.5 |
| Mets | 22 | 20 | .524 | 3.5 |
| Phillies | 21 | 22 | .488 | 5.0 |
Last updated: 05/22/2012
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If this guy is really as talented as everybody says he is, you can be sure that he wont be donning a Mets uniform. By the sounds of it he would have to be paid more than Chapman or Dice-K. No way the Mets do it, and the Nationals stand a better chance of landing him than the Mets IMO.
Pencil him in as a Yankee! With Burnett stinking up the New Yankee Stadium, Burnett will wind up as a Met.
The Yankees are/will be more locked in on getting Cliff Lee than they are with getting Darvish if you ask me…then again, it wouldn’t surprise me if they got both.
If the Yankees are on him his agent will use the Mets for more $$$ from the Yankees and probably succeed. Don’t hold your breath on Darvish wearing a Mets uniform. At least not until he’s 37 and past his prime when they’ll over-pay him as a free agent.
According to the posting rules, it’s a blind anonymous bid from any interested team. The agent can go back and forth between teams. As long as the Mets make the highest blind bid they get exclusive negotiating rights.
oops, the agent *CAN’T go back and forth
Every response here has to be negative?
Lets not let facts get in the way of the reality here. Mets do a great job securing international talent.
Yes you are right but this time I think they are constrained by money unless they can free up payroll and if the scouting reports are correct don’t you think he will command at least 10 million a year with options?
1) Darvish has said repeatedly he has no interest in playing in MLB
2) Darvish is younger and more talented than Dice-K was when he came over. If Dice-K generated a $50M post, Darvish could generate a $75M post. That’s before you even start talking contract with him.
Does anybody really think that the penny pinching Wilpons would okay this? They won’t even allow Omar to buy out Ollie Perez or Luis Castillo’s contracts, for crying out loud.
Let’s be realistic, people.
Darvish would easily command $10M per year in salary. Say you sign him for 4 years. That’s $40M + $75M posting fee. The Wilpons are not spending $115M on this guy, no matter what their scouts say. Not after the Kaz Matsui debacle.
Totally agree, it’s a non-issue. I dont know who the next $100MM player will be for the Mets, maybe Wright, but I can assure you it wont be Darvish.
yes the mets secure International talent, but it is never primo talent
When the Met scouts saw the Yankee scouts there they soiled their pants called up Minaya who soiled his pants then he called up da Wilpons who both in unison soiled their shorts!!!
There is minimal chance of the Mets getting Darvish, but it doesn’t hurt to scout.
First, we don’t know for sure that he’s coming to America this offseason (Japanese teams don’t post their stars until their 1 yr away from Free Agency), or whether Darvish even wants to come to America.
Also, while I love Darvish, acquiring him wouldn’t be worth it. I mean, he’s clearly worth the 6 yr/$72 mil deal he’ll get, but he’s not worth $75 million posting fee.
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[...] Mets Merized Online: Japanese Phenom, Yu Darvish, Is On The Mets Radar [...]