The Rangers won the rights to negotiate with the star Japanese hurler by submitting a record-setting $51.7 million bid, according to Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan.
The bid exceeds that submitted by the Red Sox for Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2007. The Sox submitted a posting fee of $51.1 million for Matsuzaka that year, and eventually inked him to a six-year, $52 million deal.
The 25-year-old Darvish is considered to be the best Japanese pitcher to try to play in the majors, and reports this past week indicated that it would take a record-setting bid in order to obtain the rights to negotiate with the right-hander.
Since Darvish's Japanese team, the Nippon Ham Fighters, will accept the Rangers' bid, Texas now has 30 days to work out a contract with Darvish. If the Rangers are unable to come to a deal with him, the pitcher will return to Japan for the 2012 season, and the Rangers will be refunded the posting fee.
Darvish's contract is expected to exceeded the one that Matsuzaka was given by the Red Sox.
Darvish has posted five consecutive seasons with a sub-2.00 ERA. He went 18-6 with a 1.44 ERA and 276 strikeouts in 232 innings in 2011.
