Matsuzaka Update

Talks Getting... Dicey
It's one of those bummers that a player one thought would've been great in a Yaankee uniform seems destined to go to the hated Red Sox, but that's life. My mother is a big Matsuzaka fan, ever since his big High School effort when he won the Koshien summer tournament. She actually felt sorry for Matsuzaka that Boston won the bid. "Good players like that should just go to the Yankees, where they represent all of baseball," she lamented.
Anyway, that's just my mother. :)

It does seem that talks are not going so well between Matsuzaka's agent Scott Boras and the Red Sox brass.

With nine days left to deal, reports have Matsuzaka returning to the United States as soon as this weekend, and this trip, unlike last month’s visit, could include a stop in Boston. In the days immediately following the Sox’ winning $51.11 million bid to the Seibu Lions of the Japanese league for the right to negotiate with the pitcher, Matsuzaka took in the sights of Los Angeles near Boras’ Southern California headquarters.

It is believed that Matsuzaka is looking for $12 million per season, while the Red Sox are not expected to exceed $9 million a year over a five- to six-year span.

There is still room and time to negotiate before the deadline arrives, and the Sox are plenty familiar with Boras, who also represents the club’s newest outfielder, J.D. Drew [stats], catcher Jason Varitek and the team’s former center fielder, Johnny Damon.
“We certainly have had discussions and talked about a lot of ideas,” Boras said.

Asked if he believed the sides would reach a deal before the deadline, Boras gave a hearty laugh before replying.

“One thing about this job, I don’t write the checks,” Boras said. “That’s their decision. . . . We’re making every good-faith effort to examine this from all the sides and see if we can accomplish a fair resolution.”

The agent said Major League Baseball’s recent reminder that side deals between ballclubs like the Red Sox and Seibu is not a good thing and that “the integrity of the posting would be flawed” if it were allowed. Boras noted, however, that no rules exist that would prohibit Seibu from paying money to Matsuzaka to help him come to a decision where he would sign with the Red Sox and the Lions collect their $51.11 million.

Hmmm. There are other curious noises like this.

According to sources with direct access to the Sox's view, there is an increasing feeling that Boras is setting the stage, both privately and publicly, that there is not going to be a deal.

"Unless he's being less than honest," one source said, "there isn't going to be a deal."

So this is going to get really curious. With 7 days to go to the deadline, Matsuzaka is going to visit Boston.
It would be hilarious if the Bosox screwed the pooch on this and the negotiating rights to Matsuzaka went to the Mets.