Red Sox Bid 51.1 Million

I go back and forth on this being a good move or not on like a minutely basis.

 

if they can sign the guy for $12 million a year or so, it's a great move. didn't Kevin Millwood get around $15 mill per year from the Rangers? Beckett got $10M and the talking heads called it highway robbery.

If they get this guy and he's even close to Chien Ming Wang the first year or two it's a great fucking deal, especially with the oldsters (Schilling, Wakefield) on their way out in the next year or two and the question marks surrounding Lester.

I'll take great pitching and defense with an average to above-average offense any time. Look what the Yankees got for piling all their eggs in one basket (offense) and banking on an old staff.

 

That's the happy side. Plus, twenty million extra bucks really isn't that much to get in on the Far East marketing/merchandising.

The unhappy side is that they make themselves look like crap by not being able to sign him, or that Boras holds them hostage for a ton and they panic into paying it, but then maybe Matsuzaka can't get major league hitters on a daily basis, or worse, all those innings catch up to him and he is on the DL or that the Sox have spent all their cash on one guy and refuse to spend any more money for the next 3 years.

Like I said, I go back and forth.

 

yes but the BoSox get their 51 mil back

 

I have been reading the Philly Enquirer and the Phillies are looking seriously at him. Hope there isn't a "signers" fee attached with him

 

?????

Didn't kudzu come from Japan? Maybe the Sox will send both of them back to Japan when they can't reach a deal.

 

I think that there is a posting fee for everyone that's not in the North American draft.

 

PP:
I was referring to the comment about the Yankees persuading him not to sign with the Red Sox and then getting him themselves. For this year at least, it's Boston or no one.

Only those under contract with a Japanese league team. If Matsuzaka doesn't come to terms with the Red Sox, he would be an unrestricted free agent next off-season and no posting fee would be necessary.


grid:
Boras is certain to demand at least $12 million and has made references to the $15 mil that Oswalt signed for. Since it will probably be a three or possibly four year contract, you're looking at around $25 million total per season for Daisuke ($12 x 4, + $51 over four).

 

I think this is one time Boras is gonna have to bend a little himself. If there is no agreement reached, his client goes back to Japan for another year. I'm not saying the sox can get him bargain basement, but Boras won't be calling the shots like he usually does.

Of that $25 million per season (if it comes to that), roughly half will pay for the benefit of him not paying for the Yankees (realized only if he performs as well as expected) as well as benefits of marketing the team in the Far East. This guy's performance in the World Baseball Classic can potentially vault him ahead of Ichiro in that regard. again, that's largely dependent on him living up to the massive hype.

so, if the posting price, which would averge $13 mill in a four-year scenario, can pay for itself from a marketing/merchandising/branding standpoint, and his salary averages out to $12 million, that's a pretty good deal. Of course, it becomes that much better if he can lead the team on a deep playoff run.

The sox are one of only a handful of teams that could ever take that kind of risk. Maybe another tier of Monster seats and/or ticket hike is in order.

 

I think the merchadizing aspect is really being grossly overstated. Matsuzaka is a big star over there, but it's not as if Matsui or even Ichiro are really bringing in tens of millions of dollars for their teams. If anything it might help Boston with trying to sign amateurs out of Asia, but the Japanese leagues are usually pretty good about getting to that talent first.

As for Boras, the Red Sox really don't have much leverage. If Daisuke goes back to Seibu and has another strong season then next year he'll make a lot more money than he would by signing now.