Could Rangers be prepared to let Yu Darvish hit free agency?

Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish is entering the final year of his contract, and there are some indications that the Rangers won’t be trying to give him an extension.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News sees some indications that the Rangers may ultimately shy away from giving Darvish a big-money extension. According to him, there have been few meaningful conversations laying the groundwork for an extension, and the complexity of a new deal may ultimately leave the two sides without enough time to come to an agreement.

Grant believes there could be several reasons for the lack of talks. The Rangers may be concerned with Darvish’s age and durability, may not be willing to commit the finances – the cost to extend Darvish would likely be at least $150 million – or they may simply be taking a wait-and-see approach to see how the season goes and whether or not the team is in contention at the trade deadline.

Darvish had Tommy John surgery in 2015, so there’s a risk there. He also threw a lot of innings when he pitched in Japan, and he turns 31 in August. Long-term deals for pitchers are risky propositions. The Rangers may want to avoid it in this case.