Update 11:07 p.m. - Yahoo's Jeff Passan says it's the Rangers, who bid $51.7M.
If true, it would end months of speculation about, not just for whom Darvish would pitch, but whether he'd play in the States at all.
It had initially been reported that the Blue Jays had won the bid, but credit should go to Passan who apparently found out for certain. Previous rumors had the Jays and Rangers at the top of most lists of Darvish suitors.
Yu Darvish has dominated NPB (Nippon Pro Baseball) for a while now and is just 25 years old. In 164 career starts over seven seasons (totaling 1268 innings), he posted a 93-38 record, 1.99 ERA, .98 WHIP and 3.8 K/BB. Amazingly, he allowed just three more home runs (58) than complete games (55).
The Rangers will have 30 days to reach an agreement with 6"5" flamethrower. Darvish is reportedly seeking upwards of $15M a season for 5-6 years.
It'll be interesting to see how he adjusts to Arlington's extreme heat and hitter-friendly ballpark.