Darvish says he plans to head to Majors

The Yankees have big question marks in their starting rotation. I wouldn't be surprised to see them go all out to get Darvish. If they sign Nakamura ahead of time, it would make the transition somewhat easier for Darvish to have a Japanese teammate in NYC.

Nakajima. I do hope Darvish signs with the Yankees, if he makes it big it will mean he's one of the best. But as for Nakajima, I think he should stay one more year in Japan and then come back as a FA with a team which will give him a starting role.

good luck to him. he would be an asset and he could really play ball there.

But as for Nakajima, I think he should stay one more year in Japan and then come back as a FA with a team which will give him a starting role.

This would probably be best. If he's not happy with the Yankees winning the posting bid, and/or their contract offer soon, he could return to NPB like Iwakuma did last year and then be in control of his future in MLB.

Traitor!!! He swore several years back that he'd never leave Japanese baseball. Guess money does talk and ... you know what walks.

Traitor!!! He swore several years back that he'd never leave Japanese baseball. Guess money does talk and ... you know what walks.

He also wants to play in the best pro baseball league in the world. He has nothing left to prove in NPB, and is following in the footsteps of elite Japanese players like Ichiro and Hideki Matsui, to name a couple, who needed to try their hand against the best while they were in their prime playing years.

It's wonderful that tall and handsome Darvish is taking the opportunity to "Head to the Majors" and is moving towards what he wants. Darvish is still sexy, young and has the potential to be a starter and could be used also as a setup or closer. He throws hard, got velocity with a nasty slider, fork ball, splitter and a fairly fast cutter and slider with also the ability to improvise on the mound. It will interesting to see what his posting fee will be. Let take a guess. How about a bid between 80 to 100 U.S. dollars? What do you guys think and also how good is his English?

Yes! The Yankees need the help in the pitching dept.

"How about a bid between 80 to 100 U.S. dollars"?

Think you left out a few 00000000's

I'm so sorry, I left out the millions. How embarrassing. I meant 80 to 100 million U.S. dollars.

I'm so sorry, I left out the millions. How embarrassing. I meant 80 to 100 million U.S. dollars.

Grinning. If it was 80 to 100 dollars, then Seattle could bid on him.:)

You mad, JoJo? Was that the only way you would accept him as Japanese? He doesn't look completely Japanese.

Why hate him for going to the BIG SHOW? It's his choice you know. If America, Home of the Brave and the Free, is more attractive than Japan well that's his choice. There are many Japanese living in America. They no longer speak Japanese like they do mainland here but it's ugly how you alienate them.

If you were a true baseball fan, you'd wish him luck. Fantasy football, baseball, fantasy anything is just an idea in your head. These are people with their own lives and choices to make. You never know, maybe his wife encouraged it.

Maybe he's going to the Majors to get a big paycheck then return to Japan with the money. Darvish is no traitor, he pitched for Japan during the WBC and all other national events.

If anything, he might have a hard time in America and coming running back to you. He's part Iranian. Some people might take issue with that. We'll see.

Traitor!!! He swore several years back that he'd never leave Japanese baseball.

You are hurt. Aren't you happy for him to fulfill his childhood dream to move to Major League Baseball. It is pathetic Japanese do not want anyone to succeed. Good luck to him. I will be watching his play.

@globalwatcher...What is up with the "pathetic Japanese do not anyone to succeed" comment? I am almost 100% certain jojo is foreign. Here's a big hint when reading these posts. See if the person writes like a native English speaker, for example jojo's "money talks, B.S. walks" snark.

@NetNinja, "He's part Iranian. Some people might take issue with that." Only in the world of immature sports fans. Steve Jobs was part Syrian but I don't remember anyone boycotting Apple products due to his ancestry.

Not against him going to MLB but i would just hate it if the Yankees win the bid. Damn Yanks

Darvish is 100% japanese. He grew up here, I bet he doesn't speak a word of Iranian. If someones knows ... I'll be glad to be proved wrong. What I know is that he doesn't speak english at all unfortunately so that might be a hurdle but he's so good that I don't think it will be a problem.

Traitor!!! He swore several years back that he'd never leave Japanese baseball. Guess money does talk and ... you know what walks.

C'mon JoJo. If you were offered a massive salary rise and the chance to step up to play with the best in the world, it would be a no-brainer. Moving from Japan to the States is like moving from the little leagues to the Majors - literally. He should have made the move long ago instead of muckng around here. Good luck to Mr.Darvish.

He's paid his dues.

You, go, Yu!

Darvish might be looking for a huge contract but don't forget who receives the possible big posting fee. The Ham Fighters don't sound too reluctant to let him go.

Nice that the Fighters are sending him off with their blessing while he's still got an arm. It's a win-win. The Fighters will be handsomely compensated and Darvish gets to compete in the big show - the best show. Sure hope he Doesn't go to the Yanks. I see him fitting an eastern roster though. Would be a waste anywhere else.

The Yankees should pass on Darvish and go after lefthander Gio Gonzalez who went 16-12 with A's. The Yankees have many players that they can deal, and would likely have to include Jesus Montero, Manny Banuelos and Gary Sanchez, among others.

"Not against him going to MLB but i would just hate it if the Yankees win the bid. Damn Yanks" Yes!!!!!!! (ala Ed McMahon) Just keep repeating, dont go to the yankees, dont go to the yankees, ... It worked when I did it when Matsuzaka was posted!))

I'm pleased to hear the news. Darvish said he wouldn't go the USA several years ago. But I felt it's a bit waste of his talent to stay in Japan for his entire career and he should challenge Majors. Although since major league is far higher level, I cannot expect whether or not he will succeed in Majors, I am looking forward to his awesome pitching.

Go Darvish!! Here is an interesting twist. While the popularity of baseball is declining among kids in Japan, it goes up when Japanese do well in the Majors or well in WBC. Kids get new role models and kids start to play more baseball. So instead of thinking that Major League is killing Japanese baseball as someone in the past has said such as Bobby Valentine, it actually is not such a bad thing for kids in Japan to see their role models do well in the States.

Darvish did say though previously that he had no interest in playing in the States. But I guess that has changed over the years. I can´t blame him though.

sfjp, the same Gio Gonzalez that gives up 1 walk per 2 innings? Reread the part about Darvish having superb control.

According to some reports, the following teams have shown an interest in Yu: Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Torontio Bule Jays (baseball siberia) and (heaven forbid) the Washington Nationals.

The level in Major League is not far superior to the Japanese league. This is overly exaggerated. Japanese have better technique and make much less mistakes than their American counter parts. But I would say there is more depth in quality players there than in japan. Darvish could make the transition. He got good stuff.

Darvish is the No. 1 pitcher in Japan,

Actually he was behind Tanaka in ERA and wins this year.

Anywon but the Dirty stinkin' Skankees, please. Would love Baltimore start to build up a franchise again, Hate the Red Sux and Skanks. Good luck Yu.

Good on him, and best of luck. I think he still has a bit of 'growing up' to do (in terms of performance), but I have no doubt he'll be an excellent pitcher in the majors. I just hope he doesn't blow it by demanding an extremely high contract like Iwakumi, or saying he will only play for a certain team (doesn't seem that way, but still).

Clement, you are right. Probably because they speak Persian in Iran

He's gotta sign a big contract before his arm blows out like DiceK.

How`s his Farsi?

I am sure Darvish will do great in the USA!!

Better that the Fighters post him this year and get maybe $50 Million (US) in compensation for their ball club. If they didn't do it now chances are they would get nothing at all when Yu became a free agent I think it would have been next year.

Keep in mind the team that gets the bid has 30 days to contract with him or the money goes back to the bidding club and Yu comes back to Japan for another year.

I think it's great he wants to try his skills against the best in the world.

He should be making movies, he has the looks..

Who gets the kids if he moves to the US? Personally not a fan. He's a bit too arrogant for my liking.

@Clemente: The language of Iran is Farsi, not Iranian. Darvish's parents speak english, in fact they met while attending college in St. Petersburg, Florida. His Iranian-born father even attended high school in Massachusetts. Darvish has been quoted as saying english was spoken in his home growing up. I suspect he can speak the language well enough he is just a bit shy about using it, a detail he will get over very quickly.

With the money being thrown around the MLB winter meetings the last few days (Angels over $300 million, Marlins almost $200 million) - I guess when Darvish saw that, that was the straw that broke the camel's back and made up his mind.

On that note, with all that money being thrown around by teams, not just the BoSox and Yankees but everyone bidding for the free agents, there are now a lot of Evil Empires who shouldn't be whining how other teams spend their money.

His dad has previously said that he liked the north eastern part of USA, which means NY and Boston area. I saw this interview of him. His dad will probably be giving his son advice at least to which cities are nice to live in. New York does seem like a fascinating city and Boston a city I have personally been to, is a nice place for sure.

With Bobby Valentine managing the Sox, I wouldn't be surprised to see him really try to get Yu. Doubt there are many people in the Majors as knowledgeable of the scene in Japan as Mr. Valentine.

I hear the Toronto Blue Jays are interested in him as well. Would be nice to see the young star not go to the Yankees or Boston.. hope they can pull it off.

timeon and techall > My bad, thanks ! But I really think Darvish doesn't speak english, I know people who tried to speak to him in this language and I remember a story of Jeff Passan saying he couldn't. Maybe he improved. I don't think he had the time honestly.

Darvish should absolutely succeed anyway, Kuroda has been great in the states, his record would be much better if wasn't playing for the Dodgers, and he never put a serie of 4 straight under 2.00 ERA as Darvish. Dar has the high velocity fastball, the 90 mph slider, the cutter, he can throw anything. The tools are here, now it's about his adjustment to the new culture.

Smith > Iwakuma didn't demand a big salary, you should stop with this already. His agent confirmed it.

Darvish throws a nasty slider and a fastball that sits around 90-93 but can get up to 97. Is it better than Matsuzaka's stuff? I'm not sure. The slider looks unhittable, but the fastball velocity is nothing special. I believe Matsuzaka was supposed to have thrown harder when he arrived. Matsuzaka was also famous for his broad repertoire of pitches that would keep MLB hitters constantly guessing. Darvish doesn't throw quite as many types of pitches, going to his curve and changeup to complement his fastball and slider. Darvish dropped his screwball after it contributed to a 2006 shoulder injury. It's hard to overstate the importance of scouting here because we don't have a great handle on how the raw stats themselves translate from NPB to MLB. Darvish hasn't exactly been babied in NPB, throwing 232 innings last season in 28 starts, easily his most in pro ball. But he's also had shoulder problems in the not-too-distant past. In addition to 2006, he was shelved in August 2009 for "shoulder fatigue." Given that Darvish will be expected to make starts more frequently in the U.S. (NPB teams typically go with a six-man rotation), this should be cause for concern. His command and control, this is probably the most significant factor as to whether Darvish can succeed.

@sfjp330:

Darvish, heading into his rookie year in MLB, has better "stuff" and more "upside" than Matsuzaka when he joined the Red Sox.

Dice-K had already lost a bit off his FB before going to the U.S., and his command has frequently deserted him. (Although, to be fair, he did have a couple of successful seasons even with a ton of walks.)

I can see Darvish being very successful in MLB, as a #1 or #2 starter depending on the team, for at least a few years.

Darvish has been throwing a lot of innings, maybe his arm is not as good as when it was at the best? He can still throw 150km plus and he has good control and his slider is one of the better sliders out there anywhere in the world. . He is better than Matsuzaka in my view. Matsuzaka had peaked much more than Darvish before leaving the States. I think now is a good time to go to the States for Darvish. Matsuzaka got fat after moving to the States. He used to be skinny then once in the States he got fat. Darvish needs to stay focused and be in shape. I've seen him smoking cigarettes, I hope he has quit.

He used to be skinny then once in the States he got fat.

Not true. Matsuzaka was gradually getting heavier during his time in Japan and Boston was surprised how heavy he was for his first season in the U.S. They were always disappointed with his conditioning and I've seen this a number of times elsewhere on MLB boards. Don't blame Matsuzaka's problems on the U.S.

Darvish has superb control and throws seven effective pitches, including a two-seam fastball introduced during the 2010 season

sfjp, did you read the article?

Don't blame Matsuzaka's problems on the U.S.

What? Why would you blame being fat on the country? It is your own fault not to be able to look out after your own weight. Matsuzaka's weight ballooned. He actually started to resemble a balloon. Maybe it was the beers and the chicken wings. He got fat in the States. WIth age he got heavier which is normal, in the States he got fat. It did not seem to bother him.

The slider looks unhittable, but the fastball velocity is nothing special.

With his current velocity he would have one of the best FB in the majors.

The Yankees just announced they are not interested. Why pay a mini-bar price for screw-top wine...

You mean former back-to-back world series champs???

Torontio Bule Jays (baseball siberia)

I agree, blame KFC, Taco Bell, McDonalds .....

Don't blame Matsuzaka's problems on the U.S.

Why pay a mini-bar price for screw-top wine... LMAO!! Or, "only a fool doesn`t pay millions for an ace Japanese pitcher ONCE, but only a REAL fool does it twice!"

Forgive my ignorance in baseball - even as a cricket fan I can tell Darvish is one hell of a talented pitcher - but is he handy with the bat too? Just asking...

Clément DelestradeDec. 11, 2011 - 09:55AM JST With his current velocity he would have one of the best FB in the majors.

Darvish is nothing new on the velocity. Every MLB team has 3-4 pitchers than can throw has hard has Darvish. If you compare Darvish to Verlander, Kimbrel or Chapman, he looks slow. Chapman has thrown high as 105 mph on the radar against SD in Sepember. Verlander and Kimbrel, consistant 99-101 range.

chapman and kimbrel are relievers. plenty of hard throwing relievers.

if he can really average 94 on his fastball, he would have been in top 7 for starters

hghfg23Dec. 13, 2011 - 05:32AM JST. If he can really average 94 on his fastball, he would have been in top 7 for starters

Question to you is can Darvish last a whole season or two throwning this hard in MLB? Chances of hurting his arm will be greater. He has hurt his harm in '06 and '09. The hitters on MLB can hit any fastballs at any speed and there is no weakness in the lineup. The MLB hitters faces 91-97mph pitching everyday from starters to relivers.

there is no weakness in the lineup

LOL. Maybe not on the Yankees team, but trying selling that line to teams like the Mariners.