It’s been long assumed and reported that Yu Darvish will be posted by Nippon Ham, his NPB team. Jon Paul Morosi is talking to someone who has a doubt or two, however:
Even then, there are questions about whether Darvish will come to the majors for the 2012 season. One source with close knowledge of the process said the Fighters will “more likely than not” post Darvish — but cautioned that it’s “not definite.” For teams who view Darvish as an alternative to domestic free agents Wilson and Buehrle, the doubt could be enough for their pitching plans to remain in neutral for several weeks.
File it under “who knows?” Worth noting that last year’s big (well, not big, but still) NPB posting was of Tsuyoshi Nishioka. He wasn’t posted until mid-to-late November and the Twins didn’t land right to negotiate with him until November 25. This stuff takes some time. Morosi himself notes that there’s a delay right now because the NPB season was pushed late due to the earthquake.
Darvish’s team almost certainly understands the notion of selling high. It’s hard to see how his stock gets any higher than it is now. And the U.S. teams will wait for him.
