Rangers owner Davis wants to keep Yu Darvish with club

The goal each year for Ray Davis is to help build a winning team, and that includes the billionaire co-managing partner of the Texas Rangers giving his financial blessings for general manager Jon Daniels to expand the payroll.

That could mean backing up the Brink’s truck to keep Yu Darvish in the organization or to find another impact free agent if the right-hander doesn’t receive a contract extension or finds a better deal in free agency next off-season.

Davis said Tuesday he wants Darvish to remain with the Rangers and that an extension could be reached before Darvish heads to the open market, even if that means adding another sizable contract to the club’s record payroll.

“That’s the nature of the game,” Davis said. “It’s like any other business where you have to deal with what the market gives you. Would I rather not commit to long-term contracts? Sure. I’d rather do one-year contracts with everyone, but that’s not the market we’re dealing with. You have to do what the market tells you.

“Darvish is still here for 2017, and he’s in a very good frame of mind and physically very strong and I expect him to win the Cy Young. He’s expressed an interest to stay here, and we’d love to have him.”

Davis indicated that there is still some room for the Rangers’ payroll to grow. Though he declined to pinpoint the Rangers’ payroll, it is approaching $170 million, and he said that’s not “uncomfortable.”

He would like to keep the payroll under the annual MLB luxury-tax threshold, which is $195 million this season, $197 million in 2018 and $206 million in 2019. The Rangers expect to generate extra money for the baseball side from the Texas Live! entertainment area and from a projected bump in attendance at the new ballpark that opens in 2020.

Darvish could be a part of the first team to play in the retractable-roof ballpark.

He is in the final year of a six-year $60 million contract, but the Rangers had to pay a $51.7 million posting fee to win the right to negotiate with him. Despite a season lost to Tommy John surgery and a nine figure total investment, Davis said Darvish has been a bargain at under-market value.

The Rangers could potentially save millions by agreeing to an extension that could still hit $150 million over five years, but a source said the Rangers want to wait on taking a dive to see if Darvish will remain healthy. Though that sounds like the Rangers will let Darvish test the open market, Davis disagreed.

“Oh, I didn’t say that,” Davis said. “It depends on what our other options are.”

Jake Arrieta would be a potential free-agent option should the Chicago Cubs fail to sign him to an extension before free agency, and Shohei Otani, the 22-year-old Babe Ruth of Japan, could be posted by Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.

Those are the only two pitchers who could make the same impact as Darvish. All Daniels has to do is ask an ownership group — Davis is co-chairman of the board with Fort Worth oilman Bob Simpson — that has never told him no.

But there is a balance between the baseball impact and dollars.

“JD and the baseball guys make a recommendation,” Davis said. “I don’t think at this point I’ve ever said no because they’ve never come to me with anything that is totally unreasonable. Would I say no if it was totally unreasonable? Sure, I would because it does have to balance between the financial and what your desires are. No one has an unlimited checkbook.”

The spending by ownership hasn’t been lost on third baseman Adrian Beltre, the only player who routinely comments on personnel decisions. The addition of Mike Napoli addressed Beltre’s stated desire to add another power bat to the lineup.

Beltre became the first free-agent splash by the Davis group after missing out on Cliff Lee after the 2010 season. Aside from the injury-wrecked 2014 season, Daniels and ownership after fulfilled their pledge to Beltre of building a winning team.

“Everything they’ve promised me in that sense has been there, so I have no complaints,” Beltre said. “Obviously, as a player you want to have the best players you can have on a ballclub. There’s no doubt there is always room for improvement, but it’s been good.”

Davis has high expectations for the Rangers this season, but they aren’t any different since his original group, which included Nolan Ryan and was led by Chuck Greenberg, won the 2010 auction to purchase Rangers out of bankruptcy court.

The goal and expectation is to win the World Series.

“With the exception of 2014, JD has been able to put a World Series-caliber team on the field,” Davis said. “I think we have that again this year.”

He has approved a record payroll to reach that goal and will have to make another significant investment to keep Darvish.

Up next

vs. Angels, 2:05 p.m. Wednesday, Tempe Diablo Stadium

TV: FSSW (Angels feed)

Rangers probable pitchers: LHP Martin Perez, RHP A.J. Griffin, LHP Andrew Faulkner, LHP Wesley Wright, LHP Adam Loewen

Angels probable pitchers: RHP Jesse Chavez, RHP Alex Meyer, RHP Justin Miller, RHP Austin Adams, RHP Blake Parker, RHP Keynan Middleton

D-backs 8, Rangers 4

This story was originally published February 28, 2017 at 4:59 PM with the headline "Rangers owner Davis wants to keep Yu Darvish with club."