The Gyroball's Not Worth That Much

ESPN has released a report stating that the Boston Red Sox may have the highest bid for the rights to negotiate with Japanese star pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka. The report estimates the bid between $38 and $45 million.

If everything in that report turns out to be accurate and the Seibu Lions accept the bid, I'll be glad it wasn't my team putting up all that money. I've never been a person to worry much about my team's payroll (you really can't do that as a Yankee fan), but when numbers in that range are being offered just to TALK with a player, you gotta start playing the insanity card.

There's really no team that can justify wagering more than $20 million for the simple privilege of offering to spend even more money. I don't care what kinda of mystery pitch he throws, how young he is, or how well he did at the World Baseball Classic; putting that much money on the line is very risky.

According to the same article, the Texas Rangers reportedly submitted a bid of $22 million with the intention of offering Matsuzaka a 5-year, $50 million contract. In other words, it's essentially $72 million for 5 years, or $14.4 million per. A pretty serious attempt at gettin a legitimate ace for the Rangers, but it's gonna burn a hole right in the Red Sox's wallet.

The thought is that if the Red Sox outbid the Yankees (who are also rumored to have made a bid), it would work in Boston's favor twofold as was the case when Johnny Damon left Boston for New York. On the other side of the scale, if Matsuzaka turns into a flop (like Hideki Irabu), they'll be stuck paying a heavy contract that they can't get rid of (like Kevin Brown and Carl Pavano, to name two).

The possibility of the Red Sox signing Matsuzaka doesn't scare me very much. The Sox have more than just one rotation spot to fill, and their lineup is only two deep. Meanwhile, the Yankees are helping themselves by trading away one of their aging (albeit more time tested) stars and replenishing their farm system in the process.

And if the Red Sox are really risking that much money on one player, that's less money on their payroll to fill other holes in their roster, especially if the posting fee is due in a lump sum. Even for a person with little regard for payroll constraint, that's a major investment for a right-hander most famously known for a pitch nobody can confirm exists.

Of course, nothing is confirmed yet, and my team could still be the one shelling out too much money. Until the Seibu Lions announce their intentions (the deadline is Tuesday), it's all speculation. Be eazy, my peoples.

BruGz..

iz..

out..

1...