It's not a matter of the Yankees being outbid, it's just curiosity as to who won the bidding. If the Red Sox did infact bid $45M, then good for them. The Yankees would be foolish to bid that much.
Agreed. And, agreed. I'm just pointing out how Buster Olney had barely pressed [ENTER] to log his story, and the New York press was printing sources that rejected it. As if it were such an absurd thought that Matsuzaka go ANYWHERE but the Bronx. Now, we KNOW the source couldn't have come from inside the Red Sox. That would be foolish. They wouldn't know if they were the high bid, and even if they did, they'd be foolish to release the information. We also know that it wouldn't be the Yankees at the source. Last thing they'd want their fans to know is that they didn't offer to pay as much as the Red Sox. It could be a Mets source, trying to dump fuel on the Sox-Yanks fire, while quietly bidding the hell out of this thing. Or, it could be someone who genuinely knows; so that Buster Olney wouldn't, you know, make a fool of himself with the first story out of the pack. His is the only original source; everyone else is reaction to his source. Whom to trust?
I admit our rotation is suspect, on paper you guys blow us away in the starting rotation but coming into '06 it looked like you had the much better rotation- how did that work out? and now w/ papelbon in the rotation you have a glaring hole in the back of the pen. '04 was a fluke. I remember Sox fans saying it was the dawn of a dynasty but that dynasty hasn't won a postseason game in the 2 years since. Sure we choked, sure you played great to win it all but you couldn't sustain success long term.
It may have been a fluke but the Yankees are what 3-10 in the postseason since being up 3-0 on the Red Sox, and A Rod is batting about .100. He who lives in a glass house. It's not like Boston has had any sort of luck since they won the World Series, 2 years ago they ran into an awesome White Sox team that was not gong to be stopped and this year they were completely decimated buy injuries and No they do not have anywhere close to the depth of the Yankees. What happened to them this year is what happens to every other team in the game sans the Yankees.
Anybody who says the Red Sox would bid just to block the Yankees has absolutely NO CLUE what they are saying. I don't care if it's Ken Rosenthal or Skip Bayless or Mahatma Ghandi. Do some research.... if the guy does not sign with the team that bid the highest he goes back to Japan, pitches for a year and then becomes a Yankee next year when he becomes a free agent no biding no questions. Oh and by the way the cash strapped Seibu Lions walk away with noting.......The Red Sox know this , so there is no reason they would bid so high to not sign the guy. If they don't sign him he is a Yankee next season. If the Red Sox bid just to block the Yankees they not only would lose out on Matsazuka but any Japanese star down the road for violating the honor code.
The front office has made NO effort to sustain the success of '04. They decided one title would be enough for the fans to hold them over while a youth movement was made, and the championship team was blown up.
What happened to the Sox this year is what happened to the Yanks the last 2 years but we have still been able to win the division both times- we didn't fold when we had big injuries unlike the Sox. In the long run that might be the best thing to do especially if you have this great young rotation.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/baseball/mlb/11/13/redsox.drew/index.html There were conflicting reports that it might be Tuesday night OUR TIME that they make the announcement, but more reports in the last hour or two state that it will likely be tonight OUR TIME.
WFAN: Sox win Matsuzaka bidding at $42M, significantly higher than any other bid. Official announcement likely tomorrow.
amazing.....I wonder if they will sign him, or they just bid to make sure he wasnt he on the Yankees this year.
I'm sure they will try to sign him. If not, they have to atleast make what MLB deems a "competitive offer". If they intentionally low-ball him and it's clear their intent was only to block the Yankees or another team from winning, then it will go to the second highest bidder. But I doubt that happens. Even though the rumor in Japan was that Matsuzaka was hoping the Red Sox wouldn't win the bidding because he is a Yankees fan, I'm sure he won't let that stop him from signing.
can I play Devils' advocate here(no pun intended)....Beckett was a useless pile of shit last year in every game that meant anything.....mats has not thrown a single pitch in the majoprs yet(save the WBC) papelbon hasnt been a starter yet.....and Lester looked pretty good last year for the most part.
I guess the sting has finally worn off from another disappointing Met season as I see the met fans are back to their anti-yankee/yanks spend too much money boo hoo bullshit. And whomever is thinking about posting the classic "we went further than I thought we would in the beginning of the season, so Im happy" bullshit, please spare us the nonsense because thats not what I heard from about July 1st on.
The thing is, they are all 26 or younger with great stuff. THAT is what excites me most. Obviously there are questions, but if even 75% of that rotation's potential is realized, it's happy time for me.
Where are Mets fans saying that on here? Stop trying to start trouble, the Yankees-Mets BS is so tiresome.
I'll agree with that. If you get 75% of the potential your staff will have, we should be nervous in the Bronx. The question is, will you get that?
The wildcard here is Scott Boras. If he comes in seeking $15-20 million per year and a three year term, then this will never get done. I could see a three year contract with annual averages in the $10-13 million range. Hell, they were paying that for Matt Clement. The day the Sox sign this kid, they recapture his salary in Japanese television rights and marketing. PLUS, this can't be understated: the Red Sox run a profitable team in a stadium with limitations. There aren't any exciting free agent pitchers out there. They NEEDED to do this to keep the fanbase interested.
