Rangers will try to sign Otani if he's posted, GM says

The Texas Rangers are ready to make a run at one of the biggest free agents of the offseason.

Rangers president of baseball operations and general manager Jon Daniels says the organization will attempt to sign Shohei Otani if he's posted, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Otani, the 23-year-old Japanese sensation who is capable of being a two-way player, has been of interest to the Rangers for some time. Daniels flew to Japan to watch him in May.

The pitcher/hitter dominated his competition Wednesday during what could have been his last Japanese start, pitching a two-hit shutout and earning a hit.

Otani wants to play in the big leagues and is expected to be posted this winter. Scouts from 11 MLB teams watched his last outing.

Daniels is familiar with signing players from overseas, having negotiated a contract with pitcher Yu Darvish prior to the 2012 season.

During Otani's five-year career in Japan - not including Wednesday's game - the two-way superstar owns a .287/.360/.503 slash line with 48 home runs and 166 RBIs as a hitter, alongside a 41-15 record and 2.56 ERA as a pitcher.