Will Yu Darvish leave Texas early?

Sep 29, 2013; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher

(11) reacts to a called third strike in the fifth inning of the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

The Texas Ranger ace Yu Darvish didn’t win the 2013 American League Cy Young, but finishing second place is an accomplishment worthy of noting.  He is the first Texas Rangers to place 5^th or better since Aaron Sele did it in 1999.  No Ranger pitcher has won the Cy Young awards.  In an earlier article I wrote, I argued the he should win it, and speculated he wouldn’t win it due to his numbers when the offense failed to produce.  Darvish commented after this honor.

"“It was an honor to be a finalist for the American League Cy Young Award,…Both Max Scherzer and Hisashi Iwakuma had tremendous seasons. Max is a very deserving winner. I would like to thank my teammates, the entire Texas Rangers organization, and most of all, the fans, for their on-going support. I look forward to the 2014 season and helping my team to achieve our goal: to bring a World Series championship to Texas.” Said Yu Darvish (Richard Durrett – ESPN Dallas.com)"

Darvish is currently heading into year 3 of his 6 year $56 million contract.  The final year of the contract has him making $11 million in 2017, which is the highest he will make over the 6 year contract.  Darvish was the big signing the Texas Rangers had in the 2012 offseason.  Many were surprised they were able to lure him to the club.

With the second place finish, this could bring up talk for a contract extension for Yu Darvish.  This is because of Yu Darvish’s current contract.  Now, since Darvish finished second place in the Cy Young voting, he is able to opt out of his current contract if he wins the Cy Young awards or if he is able to finish 4^th or better in two of the next three seasons.

"“A top-three finish, regardless of where he finished, is a hell of an accomplishment. He had a great year, and I think he’s capable of being even better.” Said Jon Daniel (Jeff Wilson – Fort Worth Star-Telegram)"

Will the Texas Rangers extend his contract?  At this point probably not.  Jon Daniels commented that they are not thinking about it yet, because there are four years left on his contract.  It might turn out to be only 3 more years though.  If Yu Darvish does have another run like the past 2 years, and manages to finish in the top 4 in Cy Young next year, I’m sure Jon Daniels will start to consider how he will lock up his starting pitcher for a few more years.

From an earlier article

Yu Darvish for the 2013 season, he had a record of 13-9 with an ERA of 2.83.  Darvish recorded 277 strikeouts, allowed 80 walks and 26 home runs.  He averaged 11.9 strikeouts and 3.4 walks over 9 innings.

To put those numbers in prospective, below is how Darvish finished on the leaderboard.

• 1^st – Strikeouts per 9 IP 11.890
• 1^st – Hits per 9 IP 6.224
• 1^st – Strikeouts 277
• 4^rd – ERA 2.83  (Iwakuma 3^rd – 2.66)
• 4^th – Walks & Hits per IP 1.073 (Scherzer 1^st – 0.970 and 2^nd Iwakuma – 1.006)
• 5^th – WAR 5.8 (2^nd Iwakuma – 7.0 and 3^rd Max Scherzer – 6.7)