On Tuesday, the Red Sox met with Daisuke Matsuzaka Scott Boras to discuss their latest contract offer for Matsuzaka’s services. Nothing came of it as far as we know. What we do know is the Red Sox made an offer that was bigger than any Japanese player has gotten. Which means it’s larger than the 3 yrs $21 million dollars Hideki Matsui got when he signed with the Evil Empire.
Basically to me, it was a wasted day for the Sox. They had thought they were meeting with Matsuzaka but never did. They had met with Boras all day, then went back over for a nightcap. That meeting didn’t last as long as they had hoped and were also wanting to meet with Matsuzaka himself but never did.
So folks its getting down to crunch time for the brass from Beantown. Supposedly they are leaving Wednesday morning to head back to Boston with or without Matsuzaka. If they do leave with him, I hope they charge Boras by the mile to fly with them. I had my hopes up the other day that a deal might get done, but it’s not looking great. I guess now Theo and the boys can focus on bringing Roger Clemens back to Boston for one final season. Oh yeah and by the way, we still don’t have a closer.
UPDATE 10:20 AM: ESPN.com is reporting that the Red Sox have offered Matsuzaka 6 yrs $48 million dollars and that Boras countered with 6 yrs $66 million dollars. While that might not seem like progress, Boras has finally come down on his asking price. It will be interesting to see how the day plays out for both sides. I plan to monitor the situation and I will keep you updated.
UPDATE 12:05 PM: Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald is reporting that Daisuke Matsuzaka and Scott Boras will be boarding Red Sox owner John Henry’s plane to fly back to Boston. There is no deal yet but his sources say that they are working on contract language and incentives to be included in the contract. This is good news for us in Red Sox Nation because you would think if the deal wasn’t getting done Matsuzaka would not have flown to Boston. Get the sushi ready Beantown, Matsuzaka Mania is about to hit the town.
UPDATE 2:00 PM: Steve Phillips of ESPN is reporting that a tentative deal is in place. Of course its all speculation right now. Until I hear something from Theo or Boras, I won’t take too much stock in this one. This whole situation has had more curves than the Pacific Coast Highway. They should arrive in Boston around 6:30 PM EST and we can only hope there is a press conference letting us know whats going on. Keep your fingers crossed Sox fans.
“You should assume a deal is close or done,” an official with knowledge of the negotiations said, speaking on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made.
UPDATE 2:40 PM: According to Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated, the Red Sox and Daisuke Matsuzaka have reached an agreement on a 6 yr 52.5 million dollar deal. The deal could reach $60 million dollars with escalator clauses. This is the first reports we are hearing of a done deal. So right now, it seems as though the Sox have spent a total of $104 million dollars on the young Japanese pitcher. If you would like to see where they are in the country on the plane, check out this link.
UPDATE 3:00 PM: NESN has reported and confirmed that a deal is either done or is imminent.
Technorati: Boston Red Sox, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Scott Boras, Roger Clemens, Theo Epstein
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