SURPRISE, Ariz. _ Normally media-shy Rangers managing partner Ray Davis, in something of a state-of-the-ownership media briefing Tuesday, apparently expects the price on free agent-to-be Yu Darvish to only go up.
With good reason.
"He is healthy, in a good frame of mind and very strong," Davis said. "I expect he is going to win the Cy Young award."
Now comes the hard part: Determining if there is a framework for a potential extension.
Davis said Darvish has expressed interest in returning and "we'd love to have him." But, he added, the Rangers will survey all their options. And with that, he referred all other questions on Darvish to general manager Jon Daniels, who, as a matter of policy, doesn't discuss contract talks.
The takeaway: The team won't necessarily be afraid of spending big for an extension, but, with payroll at an all-time high and the club still on the hook for several large long-term contracts, an extension will be based more on performance than projection.
The Rangers paid for projection when they bid $51.7 million for Darvish in the posting process after the 2011 season, then spent another $56 million on a six-year contract for a $107 million investment. His next contract could surpass an average value of $30 million per season for five years.
During Darvish's time with the Rangers, the club's payroll has grown from $120 million for 2012 to what is expected to be about $170 million for 2017. The Rangers added free agents Mike Napoli, Carlos Gomez, Andrew Cashner and Tyson Ross, all on one-year deals. Davis said ownership is willing to continue to expand payroll _ within reason _ to contend.
"Yes, we stretched (the payroll," Davis said. "But we brought in a lot of good talent and we're excited about the year. We are going to try to win every year, absolutely. The nature of the business that we are in is that (payroll) goes up. You would love to do one year contracts for everybody, but that's not the way the market works. You have to do what the market says.
"There does have to be a balance between the financial and what your desires are," he added. "No one has an unlimited checkbook. So far, (Jon Daniels) has never come to me with anything that is unreasonable where I've had to say 'no.' That day may happen, but so far it hasn't."
