"The Nationals missed out on Mark Buehrle yesterday when he signed with the Miami Marlins, but they will have another chance to land a pitcher to slot into the top of their rotation — a younger, more expensive and more captivating option.

Japanese superstar Yu Darvish announced last night he will be posted today, meaning teams can begin bidding for the right to negotiate with the 25-year-old who has for years been considered the best pitcher in Japan and perhaps the best pitcher in the world not currently playing Major League Baseball.

The Nationals have extensively scouted Darvish, and General Manager Mike Rizzo watched Darvish pitch in person last year. Rizzo would not divulge whether the Nationals planned to enter the bidding on Darvish, but even his refusal to comment suggested they probably will.

"Strategically, that doesn't benefit us to announce whether we're going to bid or not on him," Rizzo said. "We've scouted him. We like him. We recognize his ability levels." "