Is the Boston Red Sox's bid for Japanese pitcher crazy?

Question

Boston paid $51 million just to talk to Japanese star Daisuke Matsuzaka, if they sign him it is estimated to be an additional $12.5 million a year
This is the reason I don't watch or participate in anything MLB or NBA, just real stupid Money!!!!

Answer 1

I agree with you, it IS crazy. But sadly, that is the reality of sports at the big league level. It is no longer about the sport instead, it's about entertainment. Real sports fans like you, me, and the rest of the purists are priced and ignored from the game by the means to be able to pay the players. I don't enjoy the atmosphere at games. The obnoxiously loud music, ads on everything, and exorbitant prices have taken the game out of the reason to attend. Plus some of the players wear jewelry like they are in street gangs, some wear their hair like they came off the beach, pant legs touch the grass WHILE STANDING and the leagues have brought down the quality of play due to expansion. Mediocrity - some call it parity - is the norm. All I can do is not attend, buy, or even follow baseball anymore. Of course, that decision was made much easier due to the mismanagement of a team in town that thinks it is a big league club. The Phillies.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

If you're looking strictly at dollars, then every move a baseball team makes would probably be considered crazy given that even middling players make seven-figure salaries.

In context, I don't think it's at all a bad move. Matsuzaka is as good as, or better, than any pitcher available on the free agent market, including Barry Zito. If you look at his performance over the past few years, it translates to a sub-3.00 ERA in the majors, which is far superior to Zito's doings the past couple of years. Given that pitching is currently at a huge premium due to its obvious importance, I think the Sox are smart to snap up a great pitcher even at this high price.

You also have to consider here the fact that the CBA was just renewed, and that MLB has announced revenues higher than they've had at any time. This means that all teams have more money to spend, and that there's a higher threshold before having to pay a luxury tax. So, all free agents this offseason are likely to do better than they would have even a year or two ago, since teams can spend more freely. It's what now makes a guy like Sheffield a huge bargain.

So, while the amounts of money are staggering, they make sense in the context of the game, and I don't think the Sox have made a bad move.

Answer 4

I have been the biggest fan of Epstein, he is really the greatest GM ever. But this time, he's gone off the deep end. Matsuzaka is good, but those stats get worse coming to the majors, especially for pitchers. What they SHOULD have done is bid on that 3rd baseman (name starts with "I", can't remember). That is is a fielding wizard, which never gets worse coming to the majors. The Sox could move Youk to 1st and put "I" at 3rd. The guy is a good hitter, and that will drop to just-over-average hitting, but the Sox have enough of that. Plus, a lot cheaper. But you're right, it is crazy.

Answer 5

Im a Yankee fan, but if boston wants him that bad and can afford him, more power to him. Though i think alot of them offering that much involved keeping him AWAY from The yankees...they might not even Sign him, just put in the 51 million dollar bid to block the yankees from signing him. But if they Do sign him to a contract, then all the Bulls**t from bostons organization and the Fans about doing things "the Right way" and "we cant afford to do what the yankees do" goes out the window, because paying in essence what would be 110 million dollars for a pitcher whose never pitched in the Majors before ...all i could say to that is I guess the"Evil" of the "Evil Empire" extends to Mass...WELCOME TO THE CLUB!!! You sanctimonious hipocrits!

Answer 6

I think it is crazy. $51 million to just speak with him. Who know how much he will want to sign. I hope he is worth it to Red Sox fans. Yes he had great stuff in Japan, but he may turn out to be another Heidi Nomo. After a couple of years great MLB hitters will figure out the different release and wind up. I give him 3 or 4 years at the most before he begins to get tagged.

Answer 7

this was a REAAAAAAAAAL STUPID MOVE to spend money of that kind to get JUST THE RIGHTS TO TALK TO HIM. they should have..like every other team.. waited til his contract was up with the japan club (i think it ended next year) and they could have gotten him for nothing.

i mean i am a giants fan..but i love baseball..and in all reality this was just stupid of any team to fall for that trap.

this guy is LETGIT WITH A CAPITAL L..he's no joke of a pitcher...he's worth what he's gonna sign for..but he's not worth a 50 million JUST TO TALK TO kinda guy. he won't help the sox win the title..they have more needs than just one pitcher...starting with their bullpen. yes they have paplebon..but he's moving to the rotation this year. and even if they send him back to the pen..who's gonna start along side matsuzaka? wakefield...looooooooooooooooooool.

total waste of money when for that money they could have paid gotten many prospects and a reliever in a trade deal.-and i know one of the above posters said zito isn't as good..i agree..in all reality zito might win you 16 games a year..but he's gonna lose as many as well. but with that said the japanese leagues are usually considered the minor leagues here in the usa. the level of play isn't the same. do the japanese turn out fantastic players? hell yes they do..but notice how there aren't an influex of them here in the states? not to many can make it here..mean while many scrub players from america go over there and revive their careers. there have been more than one scrub from the states who has gone over to the japanese leagues and became a star by hitting over 40 bombs in a season. after never hitting 1 here in the states.

point is..we can't just say...oh matsuzaka is gonna be a star and his japanese stats would equal such and such in the majors. and if we use the world baseball championships as a marker for his talent. well he pitched..what 30 innings in that? he dominated..yes. but IT WAS 30 ININGS. talk to me when he's pitched 230 innings had 35 starts and has an era of 2.00.

Answer 8

It's stupidity and it's ruining baseball, especially hurting the small market teams whose payrolls don't even come close to the $51 million the Red Sucks are going to pay to the Japanese team if they sign this guy.

Answer 9

I can't believe the Red Sox would allow that kind of money to go down for one player, especially when they have die-hard players like Ortiz and Varitek who settled for less money just to stay in Boston and to be on the team. I truly believe that Theo Epstein has some resentment for whatever it was that happened last year between himself and Larry Luchino. I think he's screwing things up purposely. I mean, he has become so egotistical. I used to like him, now I think he's an a**. I don't blame you for not wanting any part of Major Leagur sports.

Answer 10

No. This is just a "block move". They have no intention of signing him and by making that insane bid they have prevented all other teams from signing him. If he does not sign with Boston, and he will not, he has to go back and play in Japan for at least one moe season. So not crazy. Very smart. They basically slapped the New York Yankees in their faces. Ha Ha Ha! Good for them!