In what should come as a surprise to no one, Yu Darvish and the Texas Rangers have agreed to a contract just in time to meet the negotiating deadline. The deal will pay him $10 million a season through 2017, which is either a bargain, or the going rate for a front-line pitcher, depending on how you factor in the posting fee.

Personally, I think that money is money, and since the Rangers now have to cut a check to the Nippon Ham Fighters for $51.7 million, I'll factor that into Darvish's salary, at least when we're talking about cost per WAR. On that front, assuming 5% salary inflation, he will need to be worth somewhere around 20 WAR for the life of the deal to justify the outlay, which is about what Cole Hamels and Mark Buehrle were worth from 2006-2011.

Can Darvish be Cole Hamels or Mark Buerhle? Only time will tell.