The Red Sox bid $42 million for the right to negotiate with prized Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, sources told ESPN's Peter Gammons. Boston's bid far exceeded any other team's offer. Larry Goren/Icon SMI Daisuke Matsuzaka was worth $42 million to the Red Sox -- just for the rights to negotiate a contract with him.Matsuzaka will learn Tuesday whether the Seibu Lions have accepted a bid for him by a major league team. Major League Baseball and the Japanese commissioner's office will make simultaneous announcements at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday (10 a.m. Tokyo time Wednesday), MLB spokesman Pat Courtney said Monday at the big league general managers' meetings. The amount of the highest bid was forwarded by the major league commissioner's office to the Japanese commissioner's office last Wednesday, and the Lions have until Tuesday to accept. Only if the offer is accepted will the identity of the winning team be revealed. Matsuzaka, a right-hander who pitched for Japan's World Baseball Classic champions, is considered among the top prospects available this offseason. Matsuzaka's Career With Seibu W-L ERA SO IP 2006 17-5 2.13 200 186.3 2005 14-13 2.30 226 215.0 2004 10-6 2.90 127 146.0 2003 16-7 2.83 215 194.0 2002 6-2 3.68 78 73.3 2001 15-14 3.60 214 240.3 2000 14-7 3.97 144 167.6 1999 16-5 2.60 151 180.0 If the Lions accept the top bid, the winning bidder has 30 days to reach an agreement with Matsuzaka. If a deal cannot be reached, he would return to the Lions for the 2007 Japanese baseball season and the bid will not be paid. There are three reasons the deal would make sense for the Red Sox: • Talent evaluators who have seen Matsuzaka say he's a top of the rotation-quality pitcher who would improve the Red Sox staff. • If Boston signs him it would effectively plant a Red Sox flag in the growing Far East market. • By merely winning the bidding the Red Sox would block the Yankees from acquiring Matsuzaka. By signing him, they would gain the same kind of advantage the Yankees gained when they signed Johnny Damon away from Boston. Some have speculated that the Boston bid is to block the Yankees, but sources told Gammons that is absolutety false. Boston badly wants the pitcher, the marketing revenues from the Japanese market and an entrance in the door of the future of Asian baseball.
If the Red Sox are really going to pay $42 million dollars just to negotiate with Matsuzaka, they can have him.
I disagree, if the guys wins the Cy Young and Boston wins say 2 WS in the next 5 years and the Yankees win none would you still say it was stupid? I think they may have bid high but they did what they felt they had to do to make sure they got their guy. In doing so they leave their hated rival with few options. Think about it. The Yankees have to choose from.... A banged up Andy Pettite A Roger Clemens who isn't sure if he's staying or going, (I doubt he leaves Texas with Colby playing for Corpus Christie next year) A Barry Zito who has never pitched well at Yankee Stadium or a Jason Schmidt who likely isn't leaving the West Coast It's only a stupid move if they give him A Rod type money and he is as unclutch as .... well A Rod.
FFFFS, I hate the Cubs. All they had to do was bid $50m... :sad: Probably gave it all to Kerry Wood's Convalesence Fund.
As much as it pains me to say this, you are absolutely right. (No, I don't mean simply agreeing with you, just on the fact that this does hurt the Yankees.) I still like the choices we have, but Matsuzaka was the centerpiece. Plus, he gives Boston a big shot at some great revenue, which doesn't make me too happy either.
You should Dino? Tell me what else I know about. This is interesting. What the hell are you talking about? People say that alot towards you don't they......
$42 mil is an insane amount but these big Japanese players are more than just players. Matsui makes the Yankees alot of money in Japan and Boston figures this guy will as well. We'll see, hopefully now he turns into the next Irabu.
You'll get no argument from me there. But we're all delicately avoiding what we all KNOW to be true here: If the Yankees thought the Red Sox would bid $42 million, they would have certainly bid 43. If anyone denies that, they're automatically disqualified from this discussion as being a homer far too gone for recovery.
I am not so sure about that, I think even the Yankees have limits. The yankees obviously wanted him and didn't want him to go to Boston but this is money where Boston can't use elsewhere to help their team which still has major holes in the lineup and no one at the back end of the pen.
Why did the Yankees let Carlos beltran go to the Mets(who Steinbrenner hates more than the Sox) when Beltran offered less years and less money to the Yanks?
Come on junc, that's not a good argument. The Yankees already had Bernie Williams, they thought Bubba Crosby was the future in center (well at least Joe did,) and Damon was already on the radar. Beltran was not who the Yankees truly wanted at that point in time. Not to mention, Cashman would have been ripped apart for pursuing Beltran over a top-flight pitcher. Not that we got either, but had he signed Beltran, it would have been a PR fiasco. I agree with SJ, had the Yankees any idea that Boston was offering any amount, even $110M to speak with Matsuzaka, you can rest assured they would have thrown $111M on the table.
