Darvish is a Ranger....6 yrs, approx 60 million

[Moonlight J]

or 6 yrs, 111 million if you consider the posting fee

[Grinch]

Does that leave them enough $$$ to go for Prince???

[BuckyBuckner]

Does that leave them enough $$$ to go for Prince???

Not a chance. They always said it was one or the other.

[Hornsby]

Not a chance. They always said it was one or the other.

I don't know that's necessarily true...10 million a year isn't a fortune these days for a starting pitcher. They lost CJ Wilson, who they paid 7 million last year, so it's a net gain of only 3 million at this point. I heard a rumor that Detroit might be interested in Michael Young, which would more than free up enough for Prince...

[Grinch]

I don't know that's necessarily true...10 million a year isn't a fortune these days for a starting pitcher. They lost CJ Wilson, who they paid 7 million last year, so it's a net gain of only 3 million at this point. I heard a rumor that Detroit might be interested in Michael Young, which would more than free up enough for Prince...

Detroit's interest in Young makes sense. but does Texas want to help them??

[BuckyBuckner]

I don't know that's necessarily true...10 million a year isn't a fortune these days for a starting pitcher. They lost CJ Wilson, who they paid 7 million last year, so it's a net gain of only 3 million at this point. I heard a rumor that Detroit might be interested in Michael Young, which would more than free up enough for Prince...

If they free up salary then yeah, it's possible.

[TopChuckie]

I don't know that's necessarily true...10 million a year isn't a fortune these days for a starting pitcher. They lost CJ Wilson, who they paid 7 million last year, so it's a net gain of only 3 million at this point. I heard a rumor that Detroit might be interested in Michael Young, which would more than free up enough for Prince...

But it's not $10M/year, it's $18.5M. Just because the $51M doesn't count for luxury tax purposes or go to Darvish, it's still money that comes out of Texas' pocket/budget. They make a certain amount of money, they are willing/able to spend a certain amount of that money on players. The $51M was spent on a player, regardless of who gets it or how the league categorizes it. The $51M still counts. If anything, it counts a lot more if they have to pay it all now in one lump sum and not defer it over those 6 years like an actual 6 @ $18.5M contract that's not really worth $18.5M in six years.

Also, as far as Fielder goes, if they hadn't signed Darvish, the entire $111M would still be in Texas' pocket to spend how they pleased, now the entire $111M is allocated, one way or another.

[willthethrill]

I think that Heyman wrote this, trying to help out his buddy Boras, but I read that the Rangers might consider Prince to replace Josh Hamilton. Give Prince a mega-deal, with a relatively low 2012 salary, and then let Hamilton go as a free agent next year, so Prince would get Hamilton's money.

[Hornsby]

But it's not $10M/year, it's $18.5M. Just because the $51M doesn't count for luxury tax purposes or go to Darvish, it's still money that comes out of Texas' pocket/budget. They make a certain amount of money, they are willing/able to spend a certain amount of that money on players. The $51M was spent on a player, regardless of who gets it or how the league categorizes it. The $51M still counts. If anything, it counts a lot more if they have to pay it all now in one lump sum and not defer it over those 6 years like an actual 6 @ $18.5M contract that's not really worth $18.5M in six years.

Also, as far as Fielder goes, if they hadn't signed Darvish, the entire $111M would still be in Texas' pocket to spend how they pleased, now the entire $111M is allocated, one way or another.

True, but also not true...if you work for a corporation, each individual area of the corporation has it's own budget, and those budgets are rarely, if ever mingled. I suspect that a MLB team works in much the same way, scouting has it's own budget, marketing it's own, minor leagues, etc. So the budget for acquiring Darvish is likely different from that of paying his yearly salary, so it's still 10 million a year, and not 18.5 million as you claim. How and where that 51 million comes about is an entirely different matter, as is how the Rangers got that money, and the tax implications.

[chancellor]

Good point by Horns - I expect Texas is most concerned with yearly salaries/luxury tax issues with the big hammer coming in 2014. Total income, with two WS appearances and new and rumored very lucrative media contracts recently signed makes the non-luxury tax money much less of a concern, IMO.

I'd be kind of surprised if Texas does have enough for both, but I don't think it's an absolute.

[BuckyBuckner]

True, but also not true...if you work for a corporation, each individual area of the corporation has it's own budget, and those budgets are rarely, if ever mingled. I suspect that a MLB team works in much the same way, scouting has it's own budget, marketing it's own, minor leagues, etc. So the budget for acquiring Darvish is likely different from that of paying his yearly salary, so it's still 10 million a year, and not 18.5 million as you claim. How and where that 51 million comes about is an entirely different matter, as is how the Rangers got that money, and the tax implications.

So you think they had $50M sitting there in a "Posting Fee" budget just waiting there? You are correct that the budget to purchase staples and paper for the copier are not coming from the same budget as Josh Hamilton's salary. Yes, there is a budget for scouting and perhaps one for international players and maybe that's where this money came from but there is no way they had $50M sitting there just waiting to spent in one lump sum. I just don't see it as two separate budgets.

[griswold]

How about the important question? Is this guy really that good? Is he worth "ace" money in a Fantasy auction in March?

I'm starting to get into my research for the upcoming PONY draft and he'll be available and I wondered what the Junkie's thoughts were.

Thanks!

[Hornsby]

So you think they had $50M sitting there in a "Posting Fee" budget just waiting there? You are correct that the budget to purchase staples and paper for the copier are not coming from the same budget as Josh Hamilton's salary. Yes, there is a budget for scouting and perhaps one for international players and maybe that's where this money came from but there is no way they had $50M sitting there just waiting to spent in one lump sum. I just don't see it as two separate budgets.

Then you don't work for a traditional corporation...that's the way that things are done. And yes, they had the 50 million just sitting there, probably in the form of a loan commitment from a lender.

[Bodhizefa]

Then you don't work for a traditional corporation...that's the way that things are done. And yes, they had the 50 million just sitting there, probably in the form of a loan commitment from a lender.

This is correct. That's how almost all of the teams allocate their funding these days -- the $51 million came from a different budget than the contract Darvish just signed. It may cost the Rangers a total of $111 million, but for payroll budgetary purposes, the $60 million for 6 years is a coup of a deal. Jon Daniels doesn't have to worry about the $51 million posting fee when he sets up his budgeting plan for his roster in the next 6 seasons, so why should any of the fans or critics worry about it?

[dslaw]

Well, it's hard to say but he's the most sure-fire pitcher ever to come out of Japan. He might be the most sure-fire international pitcher ever to join MLB. Course, that doesn't always translate...

Like you said, it doesn't always translate because I thought we heard the same things about Dice-K when he came over. If Darvish is that good you don't want to spend $120M.