Maybe Theo has been reading GYS and was acting in response to Grieve's post. According to reports on ESPN, the Sox are the top bidder for Matsuzaka - at around $40 MM just for the post.
That plus say,4 years/$40 MM bring the total to a whopping $80 million for 4 years. I bet Zito is licking his chops. Of course nothing is guaranteed until it is signed sealed delivered... Lets just hope he is more Nomo than Irabu.
X, this news blew me out of the water! And with Foulke gone, we have his three and a half million Henry bucks to spend elsewhere. And wow, would this give us a solid 1-5 rotation. Now, the bullpen, etc. Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteIt's still possible that the Sox are doing this to block the Yankees (and any other team for that matter) from getting Matsuzaka, correct? Also as Longo pointed out, this not only blocks Matsuzaka but it also sets the initial bar for Zito in the stratosphere. Which naturally screws up other team's plans. I like this move because it allows the Red Sox to be in the power position, although it won't last long.
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ReplyDeleteWell two things here.
ReplyDelete1. Let's slow down. This is not news. Just a report. Like I said, until it is signed sealed and delivered.
2. Of course the Sox want to keep him away from NY, but I don't think they would be the team to make a huge bid just to block. As I talked about before, theoretically a team could bid high and then not sign him. But then the commish could also step in and re-open the bidding process. But a team that did something like that they would never be able to deal with Boras again as well (or it would seriously strain the relationship). And Boston generally will need to deal with the guy in the future. The block strategy would have been more appropriate from a team like Toronto.
But hey, IF its true. I like it. Henry has more $$$ than we can imagine. And why not step it up. Its not my money. And the posting amount will be likely viewed as a one time expense that won't necessarily prevent them from spending $$ elsewhere.
I hear your perspective about this not being a block. I think it's a calculated risk and the one time fee is probably easier to work into the balance sheet than an on-going income, hence the ability to stretch a little.
ReplyDeleteIn other news, Shefield is off to Detroit! I think this was a nice move by New York. I am not sure who the prospects are, but if one of them catches even slightly that could be a huge help to their rotation or worse-comes-to-worse their bullpen.
Finally, I want to pose a question. Why not go after Lily? If for no other reason than to NOT face him for 5 games a year! He would be a great 5th starter - mind you the emphasis is on "5th starter".
Yeah, plus Lily would give them a left handed starter. Based on the market, I bet he gets $10MM +. Funny how the Yanks traded him for Jeff Weaver. Weaver was a disaster and now the Yanks may spend $40 MM to get him back.
ReplyDeleteI would not mind if they took a run at Lily.
Tony Maz speculates the $40 MM post fee could largely be recouped through marketing in Japan.
the guys Sanchez that the Yanks got is supposedly a pretty decent prospect. He will likely be in the NYY top 10 list, which is as much a function of them only having a couple of decent prospects, but still he should be a major league arm
They'd make the posting money back in no time, with Red Sox hats, etc...advertising, etc...
ReplyDeletePlus, the posting fee doesn't go against the cap...no luxury tax...