Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish said he will not participate in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish informed the team on Tuesday that he will not pitch for Japan in the next year’s World Baseball Classic. The WBC will be held from March 2 to 19.

“After much deliberation, which has included a lot of consultation with my coaches and trainers, I have decided that I will not play in the upcoming World Baseball Classic,” he said in a statement. “This was a very difficult decision for me as it is always a tremendous honor to represent my native country of Japan. I greatly enjoyed being a part of the 2009 Championship ballclub and I will be supporting this year’s team as they look to defend their title.”

Darvish pitched 191 1/3 innings, going 16-9 with a 3.90 ERA in 29 starts during the 2012 regular season for the Rangers and was a member of the Japanese team that won the Classic in 2009. The Rangers released a statement saying they supported Darvish’s decision.

“My ultimate goal is to help win a World Series with the Texas Rangers and to share that accomplishment with the great baseball fans in Japan,” Darvish said.

Rangers manager Ron Washington announced that Yu Darvish would be the starting pitcher in the team’s first playoff game. (Rick Yeatts/Getty Images)

Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish will be the starting pitcher for the Rangers in their first playoff game, according to an AP report. Texas clinched a playoff berth on Sunday night with an 8-7 victory over the Angels. The two-time defending AL Champions go into the final game of the season tied with the A’s for first in the West. Rangers manager Ron Washington announced the news on Wednesday afternoon.

“He’s our big-game pitcher,” Washington said. “That’s something he’s always been in his career.”

Darvish, 26, went 16-9 with a 3.90 ERA in his first season in the league. He won his final four decisions of the regular season and hasn’t lost since Aug. 15.

Rangers Yu Darvish won the Final Vote for the MLB All-Star Game in the American League. He is the eighth Ranger to make the team. (Layne Murdoch/Getty Images)

Texas Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish and St. Louis Cardinals third baseman David Freese won “Final Vote” slots for the All-Star team.

Freese is the fifth St. Louis player and will be the fourth third baseman on the National League roster and Darvish is the eighth Ranger to make the AL team. The game is next Tuesday in Kansas City.

Freese beat out Washington Nationals Rookie Bryce Harper, Atlanta center fielder Michael Bourn and Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Aaron Hill.

Darvish, who lead the internet voting, beat Kansas City Royals closer Jonathan Broxton and Chicago White Sox starter Jake Peavy among others for his slot on the team.

Darvish is 10-5 with a 3.59 ERA this season. Freese, the 2011 World Series MVP, is batting .285 with 13 home runs and 50 RBI.

Texas Rangers rookie righthander Yu Darvish is tied for the American League lead in wins (10) and is fourth in strikeouts (106), making him appear to be a lock to be named to the All-Star team.

But on Friday, Darvish told reporters that he doesn’t think he should be going to Kansas City. (He may take issue with his 50 walks and his 3.57 ERA.)

“I think (All-Star talk is) more of a build up of who I am and where I came from,” Darvish said, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “Maybe the media created this, promoting me this much. Personally, do I feel like an All-Star? I don’t think so.

“I’m also hearing that I might start the All-Star Game, and that’s totally out of context. Am I going to be an All-Star? I don’t know. Do I think I’m worthy? Probably not. Plus, there are a lot of other players who deserve it, too.”

Yu Darvish is officially a Texas Ranger, as the team introduced the young hurler to an estimated 200 members of the Japanese media at a news conference tonight.

The Rangers signed Darvish to a six-year, $60 million contract on Wednesday before unveiling him tonight in front of a large media throng in the Hall of Fame room at the Ballpark in Arlington.

The Rangers won the rights to the 25-year-old righty from Habikino, Osaka, Japan by submitting a $51.7 million posting bid on Dec. 14. The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters accepted the bid on Dec. 18, giving the Rangers 30 days to negotiate with the pitcher.

Darvish went 18-6 with a 1.44 ERA in 232 innings in Nippon Professional Baseball last season. It was his fifth straight season with an ERA under 2.

The Rangers, defending American League champions in back-to-back seasons, add Darvish to a stacked rotation that already includes Colby Lewis, Derek Holland, Matt Harrison, Alexi Ogando and Neftali Feliz.

The Rangers are still in the mix for free-agent Prince Fielder despite spending over $100 million to acquire Japanese starting pitcher Yu Darvish, according to Jon Morosi of Fox Sports.

One rival executive believes the #Rangers will end up with Prince Fielder. “They are experts at playing possum,” he said. #Nationals

—
Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 19, 2012

The club finalized a six-year, $60 million deal with Darvish yesterday just minutes before their 30-day negotiation window was set to close. Texas will also pay the Nippon Ham-Fighters, Darvish’s old team, a $51.7 million posting fee, meaning that the Rangers have invested over $111 million in the foreign import.

There have been conflicting reports about whether the Rangers would be able to sign both Darvish, and Fielder who is expected to demand upwards of $170 million in free agency. Some have said that signing Fielder to a long-term deal would eliminate the possibility for a long-term extension to former American League MVP Josh Hamilton in the coming years.

Fielder hit .299/.415/.566 with 38 home runs and 120 RBI in 162 games last year for the Milwaukee Brewers. The 27-year-old has been one of the more consistent players in the majors over the past several seasons. In 998 career games, he has amassed a .282 career batting average, 230 home runs and 656 RBIs.

A deal between Yu Darvish and the Texas Rangers has been completed, according to Jim Bowden of ESPN.

Darvish deal is done and confirmed

—
JIM BOWDEN (@JimBowdenESPNxm) January 18, 2012

Texas had 30 days to sign Darvish after winning the exclusive negotiating rights to him by committing a $51.7 million posting fee. Had the deal not been completed, the Nippon-Ham Fighters, Darvish’s old team, would have to return the posting fee.

Darvish will now be tasked with replacing former Rangers ace C.J. Wilson in the Texas rotation.

Last year at the age of 23, Darvish posted a 1.78 ERA with 222 strikeouts in 202 innings pitched. In 25 starts for the Nippon-Ham Fighters, he threw 10 complete games and two shutouts.

CBS Sports is reporting that the Texas Rangers will sign Japanese starting pitcher Yu Darvish before today’s 5 p.m. deadline. The deal is believed to be for six-years, according to CBS.

Texas had 30 days to sign Darvish after winning the exclusive negotiating rights to him by committing a $51.7 million posting fee. If the deal is not completed, the Nippon-Ham Fighters, Darvish’s old team, will have to return the posting fee. If the deal goes through as CBS suggests, then the Ham Fighters will keep the entirety of the posting fee as compensation.

Last year at the age of 23, Darvish posted a 1.78 ERA with 222 strikeouts in 202 innings pitched. In 25 starts for the Nippon-Ham Fighters, he threw 10 complete games and two shutouts.

The Texas Rangers are “cautiously optimistic” that the club will sign Japanese starter Yu Darvish before today’s 5 p.m. deadline, according to the Star-Telegram.

The Rangers front office and Darvish’s agents Arn Tellem and Don Nomura reportedly talked late into Tuesday night in negotiations for an agreement for the right-handed hurler. According to the Star-Telegram, team president Nolan Ryan was not a part of those meetings as he was out of town on a prior-engagement, but he is expected to return this morning.

Texas, who committed a $51.7 million posting fee in order to have the exclusive negotiating rights with Darvish, have had 30 days to sign the starter. If they cannot reach an agreement today at 5 p.m., Darvish will return to the Nippon-Ham Fighters and the club will return the Rangers’ posting fee.

Last year at the age of 23, Darvish posted a 1.78 ERA with 222 strikeouts in 202 innings pitched. In 25 starts for the Nippon-Ham Fighters, he threw 10 complete games and two shutouts.

The Texas Rangers are unlikely to sign free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder if the team is able to sign Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish, according to MLB.com.

The Rangers expect to sign Darvish before Wednesday’s 4 p.m. deadline, according to the report. While a deal hasn’t been agreed to yet, the team expects a deal to get done “if everybody stays fair and reasonable,” according to the report.

Last week, the Rangers met with Fielder “because they wanted to have a backup plan in place in case a deal with Darvish did not get done,” according to the report. Earlier today, it was reported that the Rangers could afford to sign both Darvish and Fielder.

Fielder, 27, hit .299 with 38 home runs and 120 RBIs last season for the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Texas Rangers can afford to sign both free-agent Prince Fielder and Japanese import Yu Darvish, according to Jim Bowden of ESPN.com.

Rangers meeting with Fielder @ the Four Seasons Hotel went extremely well & they can afford to sign both Darvish and Fielder if they choose

—
JIM BOWDEN (@JimBowdenESPNxm) January 15, 2012

It was previously believed that the Rangers, who had won the exclusive negotiating rights to Darvish by committing a $51.7 million posting fee, would only sign Prince Fielder if the team failed to reach a deal with the hurler before the Jan. 18 signing deadline. The Rangers would reportedly like to give Darvish a similar deal to the $52 million contract the Boston Red Sox gave Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2007, meaning in total they would be committing roughly over $100 million on Darvish.

Fielder, the top remaining bat on the market, is believed to be demanding a contract with a value near $200 million. The amount of overall interest in Fielder has been brought into question, however, as the Washington Nationals are considered to be one of the only other remaining teams vying for his services.

Fielder hit .299/.415/.566 with 38 home runs and 120 RBI in 162 games last year for the Milwaukee Brewers. The 27-year-old has been one of the more consistent players in the majors over the past several seasons. In 998 career games, he has amassed a .282 career batting average, 230 home runs and 656 RBIs.

Texas Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan said Thursday that he is “optimistic” the team will sign pitcher Yu Darvish before Wednesday’s deadline, according to ESPNDallas.com.

“My expectation is that we’ll get something done,” Ryan said, according to the report. “It’s a process, so during the period that we negotiate with someone, we really don’t talk about it. I’m optimistic we’ll get something done.”

The Rangers and representatives for Darvish are in negotiations, but if the two sides are unable to strike a deal by Wednesday Darvish will return to Japan. Texas has exclusive rights to communicate with Darvish after they posted the winning bid of $52.7 million.

Ryan has been impressed with Darvish, and compared him favorably to current Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis.

“He was bigger than I thought,” Ryan told ESPN. “He was built like a pitcher. He looks good. He understands a lot of English and I just liked his attitude about wanting to compete. To me, he represented what I’ve been led to believe.”

The Texas Rangers and free-agent pitcher Yu Darvish are not close to a deal, sources have told CBS Sports.

The Rangers reportedly would like to structure their deal in a similar manner to the $52 million contract that the Boston Red Sox gave Japanese import Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2007. According to CBS, however, Darvish’s camp believes that their pitcher deserves more than what his Japanese counterpart earned five years ago because he is younger and more talented.

The Rangers, who committed a $51.7 million posting fee in order to have the exclusive negotiating rights with Darvish, have until Jan. 18 to sign the young starting pitcher. If they cannot reach an agreement by that time, Darvish will return to the Nippon-Ham Fighters and the club will return the Rangers’ posting fee.

Last year at the age of 23, Darvish posted a 1.78 ERA with 222 strikeouts in 202 innings pitched. In 25 starts for the Nippon-Ham Fighters, he threw 10 complete games and two shutouts.

Japanese free-agent target Yu Darvish is in Arlington today to visit the Texas Rangers facilities, according to ESPN.

The visit is not meant for negotiations but rather for Darvish to get a feel for the area in which he would be playing, ESPN reports. Darvish is expected to report back to his agents with his thoughts following the visit, who will then likely begin contract talks with Rangers general manager Josh Daniels.

The Rangers and the Japanese star are currently in the midst of a month-long exlclusive negotiating window. Texas was able to secure that window by posting the winning bid in December, which was believed to be worth $52 million. If the two sides are unable to come to an agreement, the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters will return the money back to the Rangers.

Last year at the age of 23, Darvish posted a 1.78 ERA with 222 strikeouts in 202 innings pitched. In 25 starts for the Nippon-Ham Fighters, he threw 10 complete games and two shutouts.

The Nippon-Ham Fighters are expected to accept the winning bid submitted by an MLB team for pitching sensation Yu Darvish according to a tweet from Jon Morosi of Fox Sports.

Nippon-Ham Fighters expected to accept bid for Yu Darvish around 8-9 pm ET tonight. Timing ideal – it will be Tuesday morning in Japan.

—
Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 19, 2011

It is widely expected, however unconfirmed, that the Toronto Blue Jays were the team that submitted the highest bid to negotiate for Darvish’s services. Following the Nippon-Ham Fighters’ announcement, the team with the highest bid will have 30 days to reach an agreement with the right-hander. If no agreement is reached, the posting money will be returned and Darvish will remain in Japan.

Last year at the age of 23, Darvish posted a 1.78 ERA with 222 strikeouts in 202 innings pitched. In 25 starts for the Nippon-Ham Fighters, he threw 10 complete games and two shutouts.

When word emerged that the New York Yankees were entering the bidding for the negotiating rights to superstar Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish, the conventional wisdom dictated that the notoriously free-spending Yanks would be the likely winners.  According to a report from George A. King of the New York Post, that’s not actually the case: citing sources with knowledge of the situation, King reports that the Toronto Blue Jays made a bid “above $40 million and possibly close to $50 million”.

Even if that big bid trumps the Yankees, the Blue Jays will not be guaranteed to receive the 6-foot-5 Darvish: these bids are only for rights to negotiate with the pitcher.  Should his current team, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, accept the highest bid, the winning MLB team will have 30 days to reach an agreement with Darvish.  If no agreement is reached, the posting money is returned.

Darvish has a career 1.99 ERA in Japan, and King quotes an MLB talent evaluator as estimating that Darvish’s actual paycheck (exclusive of the posting fee) will be in the neighborhood of $12 million per year.