It looks as though Daisuke Matsuzaka is going to be pitching for the Red Sox next year. They paid the Seibu Lions, Matsuzaka’s Japanese team, $51 million for the rights to negotiate with Matsuzaka, and it looks as though they’ll be paying him $52-60 million over six years. Without the fee to Seibu, he most certainly could have gotten more, but he really wants to pitch in the US.
So, are the Red Sox crazy for shelling out $100 million for a guy who’s never pitched an inning in the majors? (He was the MVP in the World Baseball Classic, and the most sought-after Japanese player in some time.) Or will he get them to the World Series again? He’ll be in a good rotation, probably a #2 starter, plus he’ll be pitching to one of the best catchers in the majors in Jason Varitek, someone who’s well-known for his handling of pitchers. On the other-other hand, Boston’s not exactly known for its fans’ forgiving nature, and if their $100 million man will hear the catcalls if he doesn’t win a few games early.
Oh he’d better pitch incredibly well right out of the gate, or the Fenway Fans are going to be all over him like baked on beans. Local polls are showing that most people think the money he’s getting is outrageous, particularly because the ticket prices have gotten so high that many people can’t even afford to see a game anymore, and certainly one needs to be nearly rich to take an entire family to a Red Sox game. I’ve been here three years and haven’t been to a game at Fenway.
All of that said, Red Sox fans like to see their team win, and if he’s responsible for a trip to the series again, the fans here will no doubt say the money was well spent.
My opinion is that something is very wrong when athletes, movie stars, and other celebrities gets paid millions, but our school teachers can barely make a living on their crappy salaries, and plenty of other hardworking folks in more “productive” jobs are in the same boat.
But then we only have ourselves to blame, which is one reason why I’ll never pay to go to a baseball game at Fenway. I refuse to pay to go to any pro sports event where where the athletes (and management) are making that sort of completely silly money.
People here are pretty happy. The feeling is Boras wanted much more for Dice-K but the Red Sox held their ground. The experts could be wrong, but he appears to be a 26 yr old, hugely successful athlete at the top of his game. He apparently thrives on competition, wants the ball in big game situations, throws in the high 90s and has breaking balls he can throw for stikes.
Not all athletes are comfortable playing in Boston because of of the relentless intensity and public scrutiny. He’ll probably be okay as he and his wife are high visibility celebrities at home. We’re told he’ll have a full time 30 person Japanese press corps assigned to him.
As for the money, his per year pay will be less than Ted Lilly and Matt Clement. It’s all crazy so this probably isn’t any crazier than anything else.