It looks like the Rangers are putting Yu Darvish on notice.
Here and there, the Texas Rangers have been mentioned as a possible suitor for Prince Fielder, but the expectation was that the Rangers would wait until they were done negotiating with Darvish to get serious with Fielder. But Bob Nightengale of the USA Today tweeted today that the Rangers and Fielder are meeting together at a Dallas area hotel (I bet it's a Day's Inn).
The Rangers have until Wednesday to reach a deal with Darvish, or he'll remain under contract with his Japanese club. Darvish has all the leverage in the negotiation, since he really wouldn't mind staying in Japan. But the Rangers meeting with Fielder now sends a clear signal to the Darvish camp that there are plenty of other players who would gladly take the Rangers money.
It's a shrewd move by Nolan Ryan and the Rangers. No matter how ambitious they are seeking to be, there's no way in hell the Rangers can afford to sign both Prince Fielder and Yu Darvish. And by bringing Fielder into town with the Darvish deadline less than a week away, they are sending a clear message to the Darvish camp that there are plenty of other players out there who would gladly take their money.
The Rangers big a whopping $52.7 million for the rights to negotiate with Darvish, but if he doesn't sign the Rangers get to keep that money, so the Rangers have nothing to lose in letting Darvish go back to Japan.
Darvish was thought to have all the leverage in these negotiations, since, as the story goes, he is more than content to remain in Japan. But two can play at that game. The Rangers have some money to spend -- but they, too, could be perfectly content to spend it on someone else.
In all likelihood, as the deadline approaches, Darvish and the Rangers will own up to the mutual interest they have in one another and get a deal done. But in the meantime, both sides are making it clear that they've got other pleasing options on the table.
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