The team had just minutes to agree to a deal with Darvish before they would lost their rights to work out a contract agreement with him.

Both sides clearly didn’t want that to happen, so a six-year contract worth $60 million was struck.

The Rangers hope Darvish can become their new ace after C.J. Wilson left this offseason to sign a big deal with the rival Los Angeles Angels.

It will now be interesting to see if the Rangers still have enough money available to go hard after first baseman Prince Fielder, the top free agent still on the market.

Darvish was widely considered the top free agent pitcher on the market, but the posting fee obviously adds some complications.

The posting fee eliminated a lot of the small market teams while other franchises felt the risk was too great.

The Rangers really needed to make a splash after the Los Angeles Angels signed both Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson.

Texas needs Darvish to replace Wilson in their starting rotation, as he served as their ace last year.

To reach the final show, the Rangers bested the Detroit Tigers Saturday night, taking the AL championship with a final 15-5 win in Game 5. The Cardinals defeated the Milwaukee Brewers during Game 6 last night, 12-6, to capture the NL championship and their 18th pennant.

For David Freese, Cardinals’ third baseman and MVP,  the outcome is  unbelievable. “It’s kind of surreal that we’re here,” he said, ”But this team deserves what we’ve been rewarded.” The Cards took out the Philadelphia Phillies to get to the championship - a stroke of luck for some and a colossal choke on the part of the Phillies, who had the best MLB record.

The Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Rays in the first round of post-season before defeating the Tigers. Their league MVP Nelson Cruz was a batting beast against the Tigers, hitting an LCS-record six home runs with 13 RBIs. They have been a powerhouse team all year, and hope to keep the momentum going.

“The Rangers are scary. They’re a scary team,” said Freese. “You look at that lineup, you look at that staff. It’s going to be a battle.”

Can’t wait. Game 1 starts at Busch Stadium in St. Louis this Wednesday, October 19. Play ball!

It will be a season forever remembered by fans of the Texas Rangers, a campaign that saw the Rangers win their first American League pennant and play in the World Series.

And even though the Fall Classic ended with a five-game loss to the San Francisco Giants, the Rangers nonetheless left the field knowing they had accomplished something very special.

The challenge as the 2011 schedule dawns is to take that all-too-difficult final step, to get back to the World Series and bring Texas the world championship.

Everybody expects the Rangers to be in the hunt again this season. Texas won 90 games last season, winning the AL West by nine games over Oakland. Texas then upended Tampa Bay in the AL Division Series and knocked off the New York Yankees to win the pennant.

Texas opens its season at home on April 1 against the Boston Red Sox.

—30—

Because of the schedule, Webb would need to be ready to take the ball for the third or fourth game.

While he has been progressing nicely in spring training, it still seems like a long-shot that he will be ready in time.

The team doesn’t want to push Webb too hard too fast for fear of a setback that could put him out for a longer period of time.

Webb’s arm is getting stronger, but the team still wants to see more velocity on his fastball before he heads to the hill for live game action.

The contract will cover the final two years that Hamilton is arbitration eligible, taking some pressure off of both sides.

Hamilton’s play on the field has more than earned him a big payday, but it’s his inability to stay on it that has hurt him.

The outfielder seems to miss a good chunk of each season with some type of ailment, but the team is hoping for an injury-free 2011.

It was just a few weeks ago that Hamilton and the Rangers were more than $3 million apart on a contract for 2011.

News came out recently that the Rangers were looking to trade Young, but they haven’t found much interest.

Young’s injury history, lack of power and pricey contract are all reasons for other teams to steer clear.

There was some talk that they might trade Young and re-sign Vladamir Guerrero, but he has inked a deal with Baltimore.

Young has made it clear that he wants to play in the field and not be relegated to sitting on the bench.

Ryan told fans at the Rangers Fan Fest event the convention center that he expects 90-95 wins from the club.

Such a prediction certainly puts a bit of pressure on the club and its manager, especially after failing to re-sign Cliff Lee.

Ryan doesn’t seem fazed by that loss, saying he thinks they are a better team today than at the end of last season.

Few would agree with such a notion, but the team was able to sign third baseman Adrian Beltre to a long-term deal.

The latest reports say that Hamilton has shown significant improvement but will remain at the hospital a bit longer.

The club is hopeful that he will be released from the hospital by the end of the weekend and return to baseball activities days later.

The Rangers are not concerned about his status heading into the season and think he will be 100 percent by spring training.

He was diagnosed with an early case of pneumonia, which limited its effects on him.

The club has signed third baseman Adrian Beltre to a six-year contract worth $96 million, a surprisingly high number.

He is coming off of a great season and should be a nice addition to the middle of the Rangers’ lineup.

Beltre drew interest from a number of clubs this offseason, but his contract demands quickly dwindled his suitors.

It also didn’t help that he wasn’t interested in signing with a number of teams, most of which were not contenders.