Today’s news, tightly edited
$42m Red Sox bid wins Matsuzaka posting (link)
Verlander wins AL RoY, Johjima places fourth
NL RoY announced
Teams flatter Meche
Karim Garcia courted by M’s, others
Webb wins NL Cy Young
M’s sign scrubs
(end tight editing)
That Rosenthal piece is ridiculous.
Meche, 55-44 lifetime with a 4.65 ERA, is similar to what A.J. Burnett was last off-season, a 28-year-old with upside.
Baseball-age-wise, that’s not true: Burnett’s 28 was 2005, his FA year, but Meche’s 2006 was only 27. But whatever. He’s also similar to Burnett in that he is human and a pitcher. Other than that, though, no.
AJ Burnett’s 2005: 12-12, 209 IP, 12 HR, 79 BB, 198 K
Meche’s 2006: 11-8, 186 IP, 24 HR, 84 BB, 156 K
So really, even in top-line rate stats, Meche is substantially worse than Burnett. I don’t know where this “Meche is good” or “has upside” (upside, btw– argh) comes from.
Also: Karim Garcia. Is Garcia this year’s Carl Everett?
Comments
104 Responses to “Today’s news, tightly edited”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Dude. That’s tight
NL Cy Young is…
$42M! You think it’s a fake bid to prevent NYY from getting him? That would be cool.
There’s no way it’s a fake bid.
$42 million. That’s some bid…
I think I’d really enjoy watching Matsuzaka confuse Yankee hitters. That’s the main reason I like Tim Wakefield.
Could someone explain to me why a $42m bid is a good idea?
The system needs to be fixed.
I don’t think it’s a good idea. I think from the Red Sox’s view, it’s the least bad option available. They’d rather pay $70m+ for three years of him than pay $70m for Meche+whoever.
You know, if Meche gets a really big contract, whatever team that’s paying him will have a big incentive to keep him in the rotation regardless of how he pitches.
That could make him an excellent Hacking Mass selection.
#5: Could someone explain to me why a $42m bid is a good idea?
The system needs to be fixed.
Why? Did Theo Epstein wake up from a drugged stupor in a Las Vegas hotel room bathtub, with incisions in his sides and a letter from Scott Boras saying, “Bid more than $40 million for Matsuzaka if you ever want to see your kidneys again”?
Otherwise, I see nothing wrong with a team with money blithely spending money of their own free will. What consenting GMs do in the privacy of their suites really shouldn’t be all that big of a deal.
[i]I don’t think it’s a good idea. I think from the Red Sox’s view, it’s the least bad option available. They’d rather pay $70m+ for three years of him than pay $70m for Meche+whoever.[/i]
I forgot, this is a market where Aramis Ramirex is worth $75m. My bad.
“Teams lie to flatter Meche”
HAHAHA!!!
40 Million is not too much for the *that* team. I am sure 20 million of that was defense against the yankees.
Plus, if beer at Safeco is pushing $8, what do you think they can charge at Fenway?
I think the Red Sox clearly did what we hoped the Mariners would do, justify the Matsuzaka posting for non-baseball reasons and pay for it with non-baseball money. To me, a $42 million posting fee comes from the marketing department, not payroll. And the team that decided Matsuzaka was worth that to them was going to be the team that made the highest bid. In retrospect, it makes perfect sense the Mariners weren’t really in it–how much more could they really profit in Japan? The Red Sox, on the other hand, stood an awful lot to gain financially.
Now if only the Yankees will sign Zito and Meche for huge $ my offseason schadenfraude will be complete. Or the Angels. Can’t they both spend too much money on Zito? That would really be ideal. Too bad none of this plays particularly into the Mariners’ hands.
#5: Could someone explain to me why a $42m bid is a good idea?
The concepts “contract negotiation” and “good idea” don’t align that often, in baseball, right? As Steve said, it’s their money, if they have it and want to spend it like that, more power to ‘em.
If the Red Sox or Yankees (or other high pressure location) sign Meche, it’s going to be really ugly watching him implode.
Here’s some Carl Everett love for you.
Rotoworld predicts the M’s will land Dmitri Young.
Dmitri Young: The Carl Everett saga, part II.
You mean this Karim Garcia? Eeeeek. He was okay last year, but this year started off sort of like Richie Sexson started off, only he never got much better and struggled for a while. I dunno, when even the Orix Buffaloes don’t want a guy back, I’m not sure that’s a sign he should be heading back to the majors.
Oh please please please let it be true that Meche is the top priority of one-third of the teams. I eagerly await the absurd bidding war.
By the way, I don’t know how much if any credibility K-Rose has but if the Orioles and Brewers are talking about Kevin Mench for Rodrigo Lopez, how fast can we get on the horn to offer them Sexson for Rodrigo Lopez? That solves two of Dave’s offseason goals.
Anyone?
also, if we get Karim Garcia, does that mean we have the inside line of Jeff Nelson?
Young, Garcia, Sexon, Benuardo, Ibanez, let’s see how many slow guys we can place between the fast ones…
Tomo Ohka. Dmitri Young. Karim Garcia. The stuff mid-season GM firings are made of.
re: Karim, I was much relieved when I realized it was a player quote from a hometown paper (“”I what I am looking for it is to return to the United States, there is supplies in the United States at the moment and I am going to explore in that area”, expressed the obregonense toletero.”)
#11– the Angels may have other fish to fry: “GM Bill Stoneman said Monday that he’s “thrown some offers out there already,” and one is believed to be to slugger Alfonso Soriano, possibly for six years and about $80 million.”
#17– Jeff actually seems to have decided to retire …
Great, watch Matsuzaka become the Ichiro of pitching and Jason Schmidt have a 5.50 ERA for the next 4 years. Besides that I like Young. He’s sorta like a younger slightly skinnier version of Mo Vaughn.
Uh huh. Have you not followed Dmitri’s last year or so? Go look it up, let us know if you still like him. We’ll wait.
One “year” makes no difference. Especially if that “year is 48 games. 7 HR in 48 games is like 28 HRs a year.
oh, and I loved this: “The Cubs are another possibility; Meche played for new manager Lou Piniella with the Mariners.” Wasn’t Lou one of the people that had ‘a question over the legitimacy of his injury’ as Price once phrased it?
Re: Matsuzaka – I agree with Darrylzero (#11) – the total price of the bid was calculated partially as an investment in marketing. As the M’s know (though perhaps in ways that cannot be duplicated for other teams merely by signing one superstar player), the Japanese market has a lot to offer. It may be as steep bid, but when seen as a total package – Japanese revenue and merchandise sales, top of the rotation pitcher potential, shutting out the Yankees from the same, and the excitement caused when Matsuzaka comes to town with a Japanese camera crew following his every move, $42 mill isn’t as outrageous as it looks, considering other teams were at least around $30mill, some without the additional marketing angle. The M’s have nothing to gain in that department, or at least not much.
Re: Meche. Talk him up. Please. I want the price to be so high that not even the guy in the Mariners’ mailroom suggests keeping him. I want our token offer to him to be so low it’ll insult Meche and make him demand a no-trade to Seattle clause in all of his future contracts.
Matsuzaka is under club control for six years, right? Because if so, that’s $7M/year over his salary, assuming he plays six with the Bosox. (Obviously, the posting fee is a sunk cost, but for the moment, let’s say they pay it in five easy installments.)
So, we’re looking at the Red Sox paying $17-22M a year with the posting fee in there. Zito and Schmidt will end up with contracts somewhere in the $13-17M/year range.
Is Matsuzaka better than Zito and Schmidt? I would think so.
Is he worth $5M/year more than them? Possibly.
I mean, as I look at it, assuming he’s under club control through 2012, the Red Sox have paid what the market would expect right now for a free-agent #1-2 starter. The total cost to the Bosox will be $4-6M/year higher than Zito’s Yankees contract.
Is all this spending insane? Absolutely. But a $42M surcharge just doesn’t seem that insane considering the current market for starting pitching. If the M’s go 5/70 for Schmidt, they’ll spend less than the Sox, but they’ll get far less for the money.
Just makes me want to ship Sexson + cash to the O’s for Daniel Cabrera all the more.
Brandon Webb is the NL Cy Young winner…
If the M’s do terrible and Hargrove gets fired, they should reach back into the “Japanese market” and get a manager there. It’s time to get a Japanese manager in the U.S.
like Trey Hillman or Bobby Valentine?
Burnett’s 2005: 12-12
Meche’s 2006: 11-8
Well that’s simple. Meche is obviously far better. Meche should get a really great contract. Hopefully, Meche will get that contract from the A’s. I would love to see him pitch against the M’s for years to come.
Or the NYY would be good too. Seeing a match up between NYY Meche and Red Sock Matsuzaka.
Like the manager of Orix that Ichiro flourished under. Because he sucks under Hargrove.
man, Lew Wolff is really sucking up to Bud during the official A’s stadium announcement…
In the first place, of course one year makes a difference. Every year contributes to our knowledge of what a player can be expected to do, and the most recent year is a heavy indicator.
In the second place, 7 home runs in 48 games doesn’t project to 28 homers, it projects to 23.625.
In the third place, so what? His slugging was .407! His onbase was .293! As a DH!
In the fourth place, why would you project him to 162 games anyway? In his last three years, he’s played 104, 126, and 48. His best slugging in that time was .481, his best onbase .336. Both of those were three years.
In the fifth place — or maybe the first — he’s only had one really good year in his career (2003); he’s otherwise been at best an average player who can’t stay healthy. Even lovers of traditional statistics don’t have anything to fall back on with Young — his best RBI total is 88, his best runs scored total is 81.
He’s heading into his age 33 season, and has been injured and in decline for three years. Yuck.
#31– Akira Ogi. sadly, he died last year.
Matsuzaka is under club control for six years, right?
No.
I meant somebody similar to Ogi. Not necessarrily him.
w/r/t Dmitri Young – even ignoring questions on his performance this year, he’s got serious off-field problems that should, at the very least, make you reluctant to “like” him
In the interest of the tightest possible editing, I would suggest that “Teams flatter Meche” conveys the same information as “Teams lie to flatter Meche.”
Good call!
I believe that the $42M posting fee will not count against the Red Sox payroll for luxury tax purposes (subject, perhaps, to the new collective bargaining agreement). Assuming that the luxury tax is 30-40% (that’s about right), and that the Red Sox will be above the threshhold over the next 3 years, you can deduct 30-40% from that posting fee to get closer to the Sox effective bottom line on this. I’m guessing Theo thought this out pretty well before committing to such a sizeable outlay…
#23: I think he was referring to the drunken, drugged out woman beating, satanic worshipping, puppy hating behavior outside of the lines…
Other than that and the fact his teammates hate him, he’d be worth consideration….
$42M. Wow. What’s even funnier are those that are already lamenting the M’s decision to not exceed that bid because, you know, the M’s don’t want to win.
Hogwash. $42M is excessive, and the Sox are welcome to Matszu. He won’t earn his cost/win because, at that price, no one could.
Here is one fan praying for 3 replacement level pitchers to round out the back of the rotation this season.
Posting fees don’t count against luxury tax, which makes bidding on him extra-attractive for teams up against those numbers.
Besides that I like Young. He’s sorta like a younger slightly skinnier version of Mo Vaughn.
Uh, Mo Vaughn’s CAREER OPS was .906. Dmitri Young has exactly one year where he had an OPS over .906 (.909 in 2003).
So, basically, no.
Mo Vaughn is sorta like a younger, slightly skinnier version of Carl Everett, though (without the ability to really play the field even in his 20′s). Both are switch hitting DHs who never saw a pitch they didn’t like with some off-field issues hovering over them. How’d that Everett signing work out, by the way?
Meche == Burnett? Hahahahahahahaha
I posted this elsewhere… but Tomo Ohka? Arrrgh. Why would the M’s want to sign a guy who has an xFIP over 5 for the past 5 years for more than a NRI spring training invite and a few hundred thousand bucks?
wrt the $42 million, does MLB have any rights in the event that the $42 million partially went to Matszu as a means of paying him without it counting against luxury tax?
Luxury tax aside, the cost for Matszu is exhorbitant. That said, he IS the only pitcher worth overpaying for.
I’m just glad the M’s didn’t do it. One or two trades, a young player stepping up, and the M’s can have a legitimate rotation anchored by a true staff ace. I’m fine with that.
#39– or should that be ‘Close flatters Meche’?
when is the official Matsuzaka announcement, late this afternoon?
That said, he IS the only pitcher worth overpaying for.
If the Yankees let Mussina onto the market, actually, he’s the best pitcher available, hands-down. He’s pretty consistent year to year, without the decline in peripheral stats you’re seeing in the Zito/Schmidt axis, and I think Matsuzaka would be doing WELL to come close to Mussina’s performance over the next couple of years.
Yes, there are age issues, but Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Jamie Moyer and company have shown they might not be quite the problem at the top of the pyramid that they once were.
when is the official Matsuzaka announcement, late this afternoon?
5 p.m. Seattle time, from what I understand (press conference is 8 pm Eastern).
And Karim Garcia? WTF?
I can see the offseason signings now: Karim Garcia, Dmitri Young, Tomo Ohka and Adam Eaton. At which point Bill Bavasi rips off a rubber mask like a villain in a Bond film and it turns out he’s Cam Bonifay in disguise.
I’m a huge Mike Mussina fan. I haven’t allowed myself to consider the Yankees not re-signing him, though. I just don’t see it happening.
last I heard the Yanks had an almost complete 2/$23M deal for Mussina done; apparently the Mets have re-signed Hernandez for a 2/$6 deal, making him about 112 years old when his contract finishes out.
I thought it was interesting that Wang got all of the headlines for the Yanks as their pitching savior (of course, he had the gaudy win total, so it’s not really surprising) even though Mussina was hands down the better pitcher this year. Better FIP, better xFIP, and doing it with strikeouts instead of groundballs. Being a groundball pitcher is good, but if you can manage it, it’s better in my view to keep the ball off the hitter’s bat altogether.
Anyway, I can’t see the Yankees failing to re-sign their best pitcher fraom last season when they clearly need good arms in the rotation.
last I heard the Yanks had an almost complete 2/$23M deal for Mussina done
I would HAPPILY pay more than that for a two year deal on Mussina. Two years for 30 million, with an option for a 3rd bringing it to 45? Done.
In a market where Schmidt’s probably going to get more than what Millwood got (12 million a year), and Matsuzaka+ posting fee will push 20 million, it’s a no-brainer.
I’d like the M’s to offer up a package containing Jeremy Reed and try to get Jason Jennings from the Rockies.
Moose, of course, is the classic home-boy sign; you know he isn’t going too far from Montoursville.
YES! WE GOT REY ORDONEZ!
Color me happy!
53. What Hernandez? El Duque or Roberto? Oh and at least Young is not a completley worthless fielder.
59: Yes he is. He’s Aubrey Huff without any range. And that’s not saying much.
I could live with a Jennings for Reed+ trade, especially if it keeps us from giving 2 year, 11 million dollar deals to guys like Tomo Ohka.
Mark DeRosa, Journeyman middle infielder, sings for 3/$13 M
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2661869
Oh and at least Young is not a completley worthless fielder.
But no, really, he’s awful. He has a lifetime fielding percentage of .879 at 3B. There are 19th-century players with better lifetime fielding percentages, like John McGraw (.898). Young’s fielding percentage at 1B is .966- which sounds good, until you realize that Dick “Dr. Strangeglove” Stuart, a legendarily bad 1B, had a lifetime fielding percentage of .982. And Dmitri Young has more errors than assists as an OF (30-27).
Really, saying Dmitri Young should play anything other than DH is just simply being ignorant.
Matsuzaka is under club control for six years, right?
No.
Well, never mind then. I thought that Japanese players didn’t get any seniority and were treated just like rookies. That change under the new CBA?
At which point Bill Bavasi rips off a rubber mask like a villain in a Bond film and it turns out he’s Cam Bonifay in disguise.
Hey, that’s my joke!
I could live with a Jennings for Reed+ trade, especially if it keeps us from giving 2 year, 11 million dollar deals to guys like Tomo Ohka.
Given how overstocked the Rockies are in the OF and how understocked they are in SP, I have a hard time seeing why they’d do this deal. You’re basically trading the Rockies’ #1 starter for a fourth OF.
Dmitri Young isn’t as good a fielder as I am. And I was the guy in High School that coaches only stuck out in RF during blowouts. I kept score most of the time (and I was a damn good scorekeeper, and that’s why I was on the varsity squad the whole time I was on the team). I caught one ball in the 5 games I got to take the field over 3 years, and didn’t catch like 8.
Re: Dmitri Young – A simple mathematics test
The trade for Sheffield (& ejection of Dmitri) is to Detroit’s chances for 1st place in their division next year, as…
The signing of Dmitri Young is to Seattle’s chances for __blank__ place in their division next year.
I believe you multiply the numerator of the 1st fraction with the denominator of the 2nd fraction and divide the total by the denominator of the 1st fraction to yield the answer.
Pedro said it best:
Who is Karim Garcia?
Also, why wouldn’t Matsuzaka be under club control for six years? What makes his situation any different from Ichiro’s, or that of any other posted player?
Is it that Boras has been telling Matsuzaka he’ll be a free agent at 29? Boras is blowing smoke out of his a$$, Surprise, surprise. In other late breaking news, it’s November and raining in Seattle. Film at 11.
#62– dang, you scared me. I thought the Ms gave him that.
WFAN in New York just reported that the M’s signed Rey Ordonez.
Rey Ordonez? That’s an impact signing.
I’m sorry about this — I really should have been much clearer much earlier.
Boras has said that the team that signs Matsuzaka is going to essentially get him for 3/5 years and then *that’s it* – the team will agree that at the end of the contract they won’t take him to arbitration. If they want to keep him longer than the contract length, they have to get him through free agency again or pre-empt with an extension.
The CBA doesn’t bar this.
Nooooooooow, there’s another very good question to be asked, I think, which is whether this is enough of a bargaining point that Daisuke would refuse a 5 year deal that didn’t include it. But the demand’s been pretty clear, I can’t imagine the Red Sox didn’t know this going in.
I like Mussina as well, but he made $19 million last year and hasn’t done anything to merit a pay cut. And won’t get a pay cut if the free agent market looks to be as insane as all signs indicate.
Rey Ordonez was the pithy “M’s sign scrubs” link.
Perhaps too pithy.
It is roundly assumed that Boras will get the Red Sox to waive the right to arbitration after the contract expires, thereby making Daisuke a FA at the end of whatever contract he signs.
Otherwise, yes, Daisuke is under team control for 6 years.
Rey, Jesse and (ooh!) Tony Torcato
um. Rey is coming in to show Betancourt how not to be a Cuban emigre shortstop?
msb, you are meaaaaaaaaaan.
Wow, Foppert and Torcato! I am glad to see that the Mariners are well on their way to recapitulating the glory days of my beloved Giants farm system.
#70, #73: Ah, yes, Boras.
This is the same Scott Boras who said in 2005 that Johnny Damon had a six year deal on the table (he didn’t) and that the Red Sox had to match it if they wanted to keep him (they didn’t). This is the same Boras who said in 2004 that Jason Varitek wouldn’t consider any offer other than a five year deal with a full no-trade clause (he did, and the team got him signed).
It’s now 2006, and Theo Epstein still knows how to play hardball with Scott Boras. And the Henry/Werner/Lucchino Red Sox have demonstrated, time and again, that they are not afraid to let a negotiation end without getting a deal done. (See also: Damon, Johnny; Epstein, Theo; and Rod, A-).
It’s really quite simple. Daisuke Matsuzaka can go back to Seibu and pitch for the Lions for a few million dollars next year, or he can sign a reasonable deal with the team that purchased his rights for an astonishingly unreasonable amount of money. The choice is his, not Boras’s.
#76: Can local boys Jason Ellison and Todd LInden be far behind?
That’s an entirely reasonable argument, though I disagree with your conclusion. Daisuke’s choices aren’t a) pitch one year for little money and then explode or b) sign a reasonable deal, they’re
a) go back and try again next year and get an even more unreasonable deal or
b) sign now
If we look at this from his perspective, the Red Sox really do have to give on this stuff.
Let’s say he’s asking for a 5y, $50m deal and the Red Sox are prepared to pay that (this would be on the low end, but bear with me). The Red Sox just paid $42m to talk to him. Then reasonably we know they’re willing to spend $92m on the next five years of his career.
Say he turns it down to wait for free agency. He knows that unless his arm falls off, he’ll get at least $18m/year on the open market.
So – option a means he makes $x million playing in NPB for a year then gets a contract for $18m/annually in the MLB.
Or b, he signs now, and makes $10m annually.
From his perspective, unless Seibu is kicking back some money to him, he can ask for all the money and favorable clauses in the world.
Dmitri Young has off-field problems? He seemed like a really nice guy in that Boys Club (or whatever it is) ad.
Tony Torcato? Wasn’t he the drummer from Winger?
#77: and its really this simple, he can go back to Japan, wait a year and get $25M a season next December….
re: 78
hmmmmm…. I hear Willie Ballgame and Ellison are friends. Perhaps Willie can teach young Jason* how to ignite an offense.
All joking aside, you will probably end up with Linden when Sabean trades for Sexson (and I shed bitter tears)
*Ellison is actually 28 YO; however, that’s young for the Giants
As I understand it, Matsuzaka actually wouldn’t become a free agent until after the 2008 season (actually it would happen a month into the 2008 season but who is going to sign him for a partial season?) as his injury a few years back cut short his service time. That would be 2 years which gives the Sox a bit more leverage.
From his perspective, unless Seibu is kicking back some money to him, he can ask for all the money and favorable clauses in the world.
Or Seibu will kick some money back to the Red Sox, to make sure that he actually gets signed and they don’t lose him next year with no compensation.
Here’s the thing about the 2008 free agency: I don’t know enough about his status and how the service time requirements work to make any determination, but I would bet that Boras already has people pouring over the regs to see whether they can have Daisuke sit out that month and then sign, or make some other bizarre arrangement. I wouldn’t bet against him – his operation is really, really good at that kind of work.
Or Seibu will kick some money back to the Red Sox, to make sure that he actually gets signed and they don’t lose him next year with no compensation.
I’m pretty sure Commissioner Selig would put the kibosh on that, as 29 other teams would blow their stacks at the Red Sox and Lions colluding to fix the bidding price below what the Red Sox actually paid.
#85: Now that you have mentioned it, I can say I have read in more than one place about this “kickback” plan for Seibu, which supposedly kinda sorta maybe happened with Ichiro and the M’s, too.
My question: how?
This is not Tony Soprano’s team we’re talking about. How does the money get moved? Are these kickbacks supposed to show up on the books somehow, or are they so secret that the IRS never finds out about them? You can’t exactly have Christopher Moltisanti show up after midnight with a bag full of cash and hand it to either John Henry or Scott Boras.
#84: You have bingo. Sources seem to disagree, but the more I read, the more it seems that there are two years left on Matsuzaka’s obligation in NPB, twice as many opportunities for his arm to fall off. If he turned down the MLB offer and I were his manager for Seibu, I would be working that young man like a rented mule. He’d start both ends of every twilight doubleheader, and they’d both be complete games. Then I’d have him close the next day. Dusty Baker and Felipe Alou would be calling me to congratulate me on my old school approach to the game.
When I got done with him, how many teams would want to cough up $25/m year for the (now 28-year-old) former phenom?
#86: I wouldn’t bet against him – his operation is really, really good at that kind of work.
His operation is really, realy good at making some people think things that aren’t necessarily true.
Alfonso Soriano was going to sit on the bench rather than play the outfield for the Nationals last year, until it was explained to him how he would neither get paid nor accumulate service time toward FA unless he got out to left field and played where his manager told him to.
I was thinking more of his success representing draft choices who skirt eligibility rules/play indy ball/etc than Soriano.
If the Sox can get 5 years, I don’t think they’ll fight that hard for the 6th. 3 years though, that’s the difference between $42 million being 14 m a year and being 8 which is huge.
#90: I didn’t mean to suggest that Soriano was represented by Boras, just that some agents have made misleading players into an art.
Soriano’s agent had him convinced that his bat would get him a bigger payday in free agency if he were the world’s crappiest defensive infielder than if he were yet another slugging outfielder. Then when the rubber hit the road and it became clear that free agency would never come if he didn’t shape up, well, rules are rules no matter who your agent is.
Varitek, as we all know, played indy ball for a year rather than sign when drafted. Matsuzaka doesn’t have that option, nor can he go to a junior college nor play any of the other tricks from the standard book of agents “advising” young players.
And I should add that I have nothing against Boras doing his job and getting his clients every dollar he can squeeze out of their employers. He just has a weaker hand to play here than he does when contract time comes for his free agents, and the Red Sox have to know this.
Dmitri Young isn’t as good a fielder as I am. And I was the guy in High School that coaches only stuck out in RF during blowouts. I kept score most of the time (and I was a damn good scorekeeper, and that’s why I was on the varsity squad the whole time I was on the team). I caught one ball in the 5 games I got to take the field over 3 years, and didn’t catch like 8.
OMFG. Corco is my younger brother.
Its not one year or two years. If Matsuzaka went back to Japan, he’d be a free-agent April 08.
#94: Are NPB teams in the habit of writing contracts for fractions of a season? For players who are not yet free agents? The Astros did that for Clemens, but it was for the end of a season, and of course Clemens was a free agent at the time.
Any way, it doesn’t matter much if it’s two years or one and a fraction. Does anyone really expect Seibu to show much TLC to Matsuzaka’s arm if he is a short timer for NPB in general and them in particular?
Their contracts aren’t based on seasons. They are based on years. Matsuzaka first came up his rookie year in April 98. So 10 years from then is April 08.
#96: If you have the fatcs right (and I have no reason to suspect you don’t), it makes sense that everyone over here is confused about when he hits FA.
And I’d still work him like a rented mule if I managed him for Seibu next year.
#96: I did not hear it myself, but I have just read that on the Charlie Steiner show on XM today, Boston Globe reporter Gorden Edes said that because D.M. missed most of 2002 with an injury, it would be two years before he became a free agent.
Clear as mud.
(Anyway, blah, blah, blah rented mule blah, blah, blah. You get the idea.)
FWIW, the repeated rumor over at SoSH was that the Mets bid $38 million. I’m a Sox fan living in Massachusets and I love this. Outbidding the yankees and mets for someone?! The $42 million almost doesn’t matter. It doesn’t count against the luxury tax calculation. And there haven’t even been any whispers that this will affect the team’s payroll in any way. (Incidentally, beers varied in price from $7.25 to $9 plus at Fenway this past season and they set a team attendance record while we paid the highest avg ticket prices in MLB. They damn well better have $42 million!)
Teams are going to end up paying $10 million a year or close to that for pitchers like Ted Lilly. If Matsuzaka’s contract is $13 million per year that doesn’t seem bad at all. And if that $42 million can be considered to be an investment in marketing the team in the far east and not just a fee then so much the better.
ESPN is reporting $52 million. Add that to a 4 year, 50+ million dollar contract and thats 25 million per.
Hrm.
Methinks the definition of “costs too much money” will have to be redone after this year…
He’s got his own post now.
$52 million. That’s almost too much money.
#88–I can say I have read in more than one place about this “kickback†plan for Seibu, which supposedly kinda sorta maybe happened with Ichiro and the M’s, too.
something I had never heard until this year when one of the NY papers (talking about the Yanks potential bid) said there’d been a rumor that the Ms only paid $4M of the $13. As it was the Start Ledger, noted for their, um, accuracy … I took it with a grain of salt.