Matsuzaka: Red Sox Win w/ $51.1M Bid

[Cubzfan64]

A Boston reporter down in FL at the GM meetings said that some of the GM's of the small market teams were walking around afterwards shaking their heads amazed that a team would pay more just to sit and talk to a ballplayer about a contract than their entire team's payroll.

 

That said, moving from Illinois to the Boston area a few years ago, I've seen the difference in how the fans and media react out here to a bad team (or even a decent team that's not performing well or challenging) - they simply won't stand for it - the fans and media will crucify the manager and owners as well as call out the players. It's definitely not a market I would want to play in if I was a ballplayer - not a heck of a lot of tolerance and an awful lot of "what have you done for me lately" attitude.

 

They'll regain that $51 million back as long as D-Mat performs like a #1 or #2 starter - the Japanese market is huge and Boston knows how to market their team.

 

I'm guessing they will try to sign him to a 5 year contract, but you know Boras is going to shoot for a 3 year deal and hope D-Mat stays healthy, plays well and can then hit the open market for that one big huge contract.

 

As someone else said, it'll be interesting to see how this all plays out.

[Guest]

Great. Now the Yanks' already insane spending is going to go into overdrive because they've just been so hideously one-upped by their rivals, which will just push the Mets to do something similar on their own scale, which leaves the already gun-shy Cubs left high and dry. Mark my words, we've already seen the pinnacle of the Cubs' moves with the new Aramis deal.

 

what do you mean? We got DeRosa!!! Before anyone else could get to win! Pre-emptive strike!

[WindyCity]

The Red Sox should offer luxury trips to Japanese businessmen/tourists that include air/hotel/box seats/and a chance to meet Matsuzaka before the game. I bet they will find very creative ways to make back the $51.1mil "marketing" investment they just made.

[UMFan83]

A Boston reporter down in FL at the GM meetings said that some of the GM's of the small market teams were walking around afterwards shaking their heads amazed that a team would pay more just to sit and talk to a ballplayer about a contract than their entire team's payroll.

 

That said, moving from Illinois to the Boston area a few years ago, I've seen the difference in how the fans and media react out here to a bad team (or even a decent team that's not performing well or challenging) - they simply won't stand for it - the fans and media will crucify the manager and owners as well as call out the players. It's definitely not a market I would want to play in if I was a ballplayer - not a heck of a lot of tolerance and an awful lot of "what have you done for me lately" attitude.

 

They'll regain that $51 million back as long as D-Mat performs like a #1 or #2 starter - the Japanese market is huge and Boston knows how to market their team.

 

I'm guessing they will try to sign him to a 5 year contract, but you know Boras is going to shoot for a 3 year deal and hope D-Mat stays healthy, plays well and can then hit the open market for that one big huge contract.

 

As someone else said, it'll be interesting to see how this all plays out.

 

I agree completely about the difference between Boston and Chicago. I thought I overreact about the Cubs...those Red Sox fans get in screaming matches on the radio arguing about their team. It's no wonder that the last time the Red Sox won less then 66 games, it was 1962ish

[UMFan83]

What did the Cubs bid for Matsu? Seems like more then I expected them to:

 

The Boston Red Sox beat them to the rights for Japanese ace Daisuke Matsuzaka, but it wasn't because the Cubs didn't try. The Red Sox won those rights with a reported bid of $51.1 million, which was about $21.5 million more than the Cubs are believed to have offered the Seibu Lions.

 

Doing the math, that makes it 29.6 million that the Cubs reportedly offered...why they would go up to 30 mil I don't know, but honestly, I thought the Cubs would make a lowball 15-20 million offer

[Laura]

What did the Cubs bid for Matsu? Seems like more then I expected them to:

 

The Boston Red Sox beat them to the rights for Japanese ace Daisuke Matsuzaka, but it wasn't because the Cubs didn't try. The Red Sox won those rights with a reported bid of $51.1 million, which was about $21.5 million more than the Cubs are believed to have offered the Seibu Lions.

 

Doing the math, that makes it 29.6 million that the Cubs reportedly offered...why they would go up to 30 mil I don't know, but honestly, I thought the Cubs would make a lowball 15-20 million offer

 

Me, too ... the references I've hear to the $30M range have been from Phil Rogers. Someplace early on I had heard $24M. Still ... I can be hard on the Cubs for making token PR efforts (like the Beltran offer), but this was a legit effort and as a fan, I appreciate it even if they didn't win it.

[sherwood921]

Sorry for my ignorance, but I know the Lions get most/all/part of the posting money. Of the reported $51 mil, how much goes to the Lions and how much to Matsuzaka?

 

All of that fee goes to the Lions-Matsuzaka now has to go negotiate his own contract with the Red Sox in 30 days.

 

That's what I thought, it just doesn't seem right. The total cost of that plus the contract will possibly make him the most expensive (not highest paid) player in baseball.

[Guest]

What did the Cubs bid for Matsu? Seems like more then I expected them to:

 

The Boston Red Sox beat them to the rights for Japanese ace Daisuke Matsuzaka, but it wasn't because the Cubs didn't try. The Red Sox won those rights with a reported bid of $51.1 million, which was about $21.5 million more than the Cubs are believed to have offered the Seibu Lions.

 

Doing the math, that makes it 29.6 million that the Cubs reportedly offered...why they would go up to 30 mil I don't know, but honestly, I thought the Cubs would make a lowball 15-20 million offer

 

Me, too ... the references I've hear to the $30M range have been from Phil Rogers. Someplace early on I had heard $24M. Still ... I can be hard on the Cubs for making token PR efforts (like the Beltran offer), but this was a legit effort and as a fan, I appreciate it even if they didn't win it.

 

or you could be really cynical and realize that the cubs like everyone else heard that $30 million was going to win so they went just under it.

[Laura]

I guess I'm not cynical enough after all. According to reports, the Mets bid $38M and the Yankees "around $30."

 

...and Orestes Destrade got the story first and got it right ...

[soccer10k]

That fee is insane. Like many others, I don't mind that the Cubs didn't win this bidding and am happy that the Cubs, reportedly, actually put in a serious bid. I doubt they expected Boston to bid as much as they did.

[Banedon]

Mike North (as I'm sure everyone knows) is a moron. He was going on this morning about how $30 million wasn't a serious bid, and that everyone knew that the bid was going to be in the 45-50 million range....NOT UNTIL REPORTS AFTERWARDS MIKE! Man he ticks me off. Anyway, he's trying to say that the Cubs didn't make a serious effort and that Phil Rogers shouldn't be giving the Cubs any credit.

[E.J.]

Mike North (as I'm sure everyone knows) is a moron. He was going on this morning about how $30 million wasn't a serious bid, and that everyone knew that the bid was going to be in the 45-50 million range....NOT UNTIL REPORTS AFTERWARDS MIKE! Man he ticks me off. Anyway, he's trying to say that the Cubs didn't make a serious effort and that Phil Rogers shouldn't be giving the Cubs any credit.

 

I have to say, I would be extremely upset if the Cubs bid over $50 million for Matsuzaka, especially since Boras says Matsuzaka only wants a 3-year contract so he can hit the market in 3 years and really cash in. It's just insane that the Red Sox bid that much. I have absolutely no problem with the Cubs losing the bid.