The Daisuke Matsuzaka Watch

Peter Gammons is reporting that the Red Sox have submitted the high bid on Japanese superstar pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka. The bidding process involves clubs submitted sealed bids to a player's host franchise (in this case the cash-strapped Seibu Lions, who own Matsuzaka's contract rights). The Sox allegedly put in the high bid of $42 million. If this is the case, and if the Lions accept the bid, the Red Sox will have exclusive negotiation rights with Matsuzaka and his agent, the notoriously tough (I won't characterize him further, or more accurately, for fear of jinxing things) Scott Boras, for thirty days. If that time elapses without an agreement in place, the prized right-handed starter will go back to the Lions until he is a free agent at the end of the next Japanese season.

Not reaching a deal would seem to benefit neither side. There has been some speculation that the Sox simply submitted the highest bid to prevent the Yankees from signing him, but this seems off to me for several reasons. Not the least of these is that eventually Matsuzaka will be on the open market, free for all to pursue, and if so, the Sox will destroy any hope of landing him, or of keeping him away from the Yankees, by acting in bad faith now.

But beyond that, why would the Red Sox not want to make an earnest effort to land the best free agent on the market in a weak year for pitchers in which the best two starters available, Barry Zito and Jason Schmidt, both overrated starters whose numbers are fading (especially the telling K to BB ratio) and who have never had to pitch in a hothouse environment like Boston or the Bronx, will demand a king's ransom? And on top of all of this, the Red Sox have been one of the savviest teams in terms of tapping and promoting foreign markets. Why they would squander such a precious opportunity in the Asian market is beyond me. Boras will drive the negotiations into the ground before taking anything less than his client's perceived value, but he also won't sabotage Matsuzaka's career, which is destined to play out its next phase in the Major Leagues.

We will know tomorrow at 8:00 pm if the rumors are true, but Gammo is back, and while I sometimes wonder about his writing and his tendency, among other things, to overinflate character strengths in guys he likes, there is little question about the size of his rolodex and the credibility of his sources. The Red Sox will strike the first significant blow in what promises to be another exciting Hot Stove League. No longer is the offseason all about the Sox and Yanks, but no offseason is complete without their mind games and one-upsmanship. My guess is that watching an 83-win team take the World Series led to some soul searching on Yawkey Way and down at the Toilet, and that neither team is going to be satisfied to let the action come to them over the course of the next three months.

Update: Here is the Boston Globe's story, which reports that even as the bid (which might be closer to $50 million) appears set to give Sox excusivity rights, Theo has made offers to two free agent pitchers. Giddiness envelopes dcat nation.