Matsuaka to Boston

According to Buster Onley....His sources tell him that the Red Sox may have bid as much as 45 million to get to negotiate with him.

 

I hope that was in Yen

 

In his report Onley says that "he projects as some to be a top end of the rotation kind of guy" Geez for 45 million I would certainly hope so.

 

That would certainly help the Red Sox rotation.

 

I hope the other bid offers are leaked so we can see how much the Sox overbid? So much for the price is right way of going just $1 over I'm sure. This bid sounds a few million over what others would have bid. Wasn't the original estimation going to be around $24 million or so?

Minga!

 

Paying $38 to $45 million for the right to negotiate with Boras? This is going to cost the Red Sox between $90 to $100 million for a five-year deal. That's lunacy even by Epstein standards.

 

NESN is a cash cow for the Red Sox and this may open the Japanese market for them the way Matsui and Ichiro did for the Yankees and Mariners.

 

Olney's sources are telling him the Sox "may" have submitted the highest bid. Not exactly ironclad (and I think Olney walks on water, so this isn't a criticism of him)

I'll be very surprised If this isn't Jose Contreras part 2, complete with Bill Madden later writing Theo Epstein threw his rattler across the room and stomped to bed without finishing dessert after learning the Yankees beat out the Sox.

 

Bob, did you even read the report?

"One bit of speculation heard yesterday -- and it was nothing more than speculation -- was that maybe Boston had made an enormous bid, in the range of $45 million."

If Boston bid $45 million just to negotiate, with that figure being 50% higher than what it was projected, well, I'll buy everyone on this board a steak dinner. Aside from the fact that Olney says it was "nothing more than speculation" and that the Sox "maybe had made an enormous bid."

 

Excellent point. This transaction has to be viewed as an investment in the Japanese market in addition to an investment in the team's on-field performance.

 

And you know that if the Red Sox really did ridiculously overbid, that is exactly why....to beat the Yankees on something.

 

Like they did to get Bobby Abreu last summer?

Even with the new CBA, I find it hard to believe the Sox would invest so much in an unproven commodity. Maybe they make a big splash to convince people they're still trying after last year, but I'd be surprised.