Bowden's Bullets: Darvish back to Japan?

January, 10, 2012

1/10/12

12:02

PM ET

By Jim Bowden | ESPN.com

• The Texas Rangers have been low-balling Japanese free-agent pitcher Yu Darvish, hoping he agrees to a deal far south of the $75-80 million range he’s seeking. Darvish is such a competitor that he won’t be afraid to return to Japan if the Rangers don’t at least offer him a C.J. Wilson-type contract (five years, $77.5 million).

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ABOUT THIS BLOG

Jim Bowden

Bowden, who served as the senior vice president and GM for the Cincinnati Reds and the Washington Nationals, is an analyst for ESPN.com. In 1992, Bowden became the youngest GM in MLB history when the Reds hired him at age 31. The Reds finished in first place twice during his 10 years as GM, and he was named MLB Executive of the Year by Baseball America in 1999. After working for ESPN in 2004, Bowden became the first GM of the Washington Nationals when the franchise relocated from Montreal to Washington, D.C., in 2005, working in that role until the 2009 season. Bowden co-hosts the "Inside Pitch" radio show on Sirius XM satellite radio. Follow on Twitter: @JimBowdenESPNxm.