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The Yankees bid less than $20 million for Yu Darvish, according to a baseball official with knowledge of the process.

The Yankees were expected to put forth a modest proposal for the Japanese pitcher, and it turns out the Texas Rangers more than doubled the Yankees' bid and may even have tripled it. The Rangers bid nearly $52M for the rights to negotiate with Darvish.

The Yankees liked Darvish, but could not be sold that his stuff and his makeup would translate in the majors. From Kei Igawa to Hideki Irabu, the Yankees have seen firsthand that Japanese pitchers often aren't successful in the majors. So they weren't prepared to go all-out for a pitcher who hasn't thrown even once in the majors.

The Yankees lost out in their bid for Yu Darvish. The Rangers bid nearly $52 million, according to Yahoo Sports!, which presumably was much more than what the Yankees put forth. We don't know yet what the Yankees' number was, but, as we and others have reported, it was expected to be modest.

Now, we probably will move to Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. Despite reports the Yankees are high on Cespedes, the same insiders that said the Yanks weren't going to be big players for Darvish are parroting the same words on Cespedes. We'll see.

For now, though, the news is Darvish is eventually going to be a Ranger.

With the Yu Darvish announcement expected to come down tonight, rumors are rampant through the game. The Post reported last week that the Blue Jays were the "favorites" to win. Now, there are people speculating it is the Rangers.

All along, those have been the two teams that have rumored to be most interested in the 25-year-old Japanese right-hander.

One team that no one thinks is getting Darvish is in big white letters at the top of this blog. No one thinks the New York Yankees are getting him.

The Darvish Sweepstakes is coming to a close tonight and it could have a big impact on the Yankees since Darvish could be an impact guy in the AL East or just the AL or maybe there is an NL team (the *Mets?) laying in the weeds.

* We were joking about the Mets, but I'm sure most of you figured that out. The Wilpons are broke.

Here, there and everywhere, the Yankees said they weren't getting Yu Darvish. It continues to look like they were telling the truth.

As we have said on the site countless times, the Yankees think the risk/reward of Darvish is too great. They don't want to spend $100 million for a starter when they have no idea if said pitcher could pitch in the major leagues.

If they were going to spend the type of dough that Darvish will command between his posting and his contract, they would have just tried to sign C.J. Wilson, according to one Yankee official

Anyway, the Star-Ledger's Marc Carig quoted a source saying the Yankees aren't getting Darvish. The Post says Toronto is the favorite.

So the Yankees still do not have a certified No. 2 starter. Of course, no one knows what Darvish is in the majors. Personally, I agree with their approach on Darvish.

The official news as to where Darvish is headed will be revealed by Tuesday.

The Jays may be getting Yu Darvish. They are in on Carlos Beltran. They were 81-81 last season. Do you believe in Toronto?

The Jays could be a team that may make some noise in 2012. The best division in baseball is about to get better. If there is an added wild card this season, it is not inconceivable that the AL East could have three playoff teams. The biggest challenge will come from the West with the Angels and Rangers.

Here is my question for you: Do you believe the Jays will be able to contend in the AL East?

Depending on how good Yu Darvish turns out to be, the Yankees' road to the playoffs may have just gotten a lot tougher. The New York Post reported that Toronto "is the favorite" to win the bidding. The Post didn't come out and flat out say that the Jays won the bidding, but it is the most substantial report out there.

If the Blue Jays do win -- and it may not be official until Tuesday -- it will hardly be a surprise because Toronto and Texas were two teams thought to have the most interest in Darvish.

Again, nothing is official so the Yankees aren't out of it yet. But if the Blue Jays did in fact go to $40 or $50-million, we would be shocked if the Yankees went that high, given one what team insiders have said.

Whomever wins the bid still has to sign Darvish. They will have 30 days to do so.

My feeling is still that the Yankees won't get Yu Darvish, but they put in a bid so we won't know until we know. Here is the question:

Will you be disappointed if he is not a Yankee?

The Yankees put in a bid for Yu Darvish, sources told Buster Olney. The exact offer is unknown.

It is not unexpected that the Yankees would put a number out there, but it would be a little surprising if it was a very high one. The Yankees have downplayed the idea of getting Darvish. From the beginning, the Yankees have maintained they weren't going to go hot and heavy after Darvish.

There is a chance that the Yankees were playing possum, but a team official went out of his way on Monday to explain that was not the case. After the bidding were finalized, another Yankee insider said he didn't think the team's position had changed and thought that the team may have put in a modest bid.

But a bid is a bid and until we know otherwise the Yankees are in this thing.

The Nippon Ham Fighters have until Tuesday to decide if they want to accept the highest bid. If they do, the team that wins will have 30 days to reach an agreement.

When reached by email, Yankees GM Brian Cashman said he wouldn't say if the Yankees had put in a bid or not.

Yankee insiders are tamping down expectations about their bid for Yu Darvish and/or Yoennis Cespedes. That is, if they even make a play at all. The bids for Darvish are due on Wednesday.

As I wrote a little more than a week ago, these are not George's Yankees anymore. They are not going to spend just because there is a shiny, international toy on the market. They are going to try and be more precise.

The Yankees like Yu Darvish, but they don't know what Yu Darvish will be in the major leagues. Darvish is 25 and has electric stuff. But you have to pay probably somewhere from $80M to $100M to get him to throw a pitch.

That is a lot to pay for a Monty Hall game. What is exactly behind Door No. 3? A CC Sabathia or a Kei Igawa?

Let's look at this way. If Phil Hughes were a free agent right now, would you pay $80M to $100M to have him on the Yankees. You would surely think about it, considering he was an All-Star in 2010, but given his 2011 you would hesitate.

Hughes' future is probably more predictable than Darvish. Hughes is likely somewhere between 2010 and 2011. A solid No. 3 starter with room to move a slot up or slot down.

Darvish? He is fun to think about, but it is hard for Yankees GM Brian Cashman to go to Hal Steinbrenner and tell him to pay that type of money when he doesn't know what he is getting.

If the Yankees were going to spend that type of dough this offseason, they probably would have tried to sign C.J. Wilson up for five years. But, unless the insiders in the Yankees organization, are steering us wrong, they aren't spending big money this offseason.

On Cespedes, again, the Yankees like him, but they don't have a need for him. If the bidding goes to $30M, $40M, $50M, the Yankees will not be in on Cespedes. Too much money for too little guarantee.

In other words, what he said. The guy over there on the right of your screen with the pretty picture.