$51.1 million is a lot of money to pay just to talk to somebody...

[randomness]

...even if what you want to talk about is having him pitch for the Red Sox.

From http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/15/AR2006111501368.html:

With one click of the "send" button, which transmitted their astonishing offer for the negotiating rights to Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka -- $51.1 million, or slightly more than 6 billion yen -- the Boston Red Sox turned their rivalry with the New York Yankees into a trans-Pacific phenomenon, signaled the dawn of a new financial paradigm for the game and left everyone waiting breathlessly to see what happens next, when the Red Sox actually start exchanging contract figures with Matsuzaka.

With Tuesday's news that the Seibu Lions had accepted the Red Sox' aggressive bid for Matsuzaka's rights -- a bid that was believed to have exceeded by some 20 percent that of any other team, and perhaps doubled the consensus pre-bid prediction -- the clock began ticking on the 30-day window the Red Sox have in which to sign Matsuzaka. To repeat: The $51.1 million was merely for the right to negotiate with agent Scott Boras on a contract for Matsuzaka.

Jim Allen of the Daily Yomiuri gives a short history of Matsuzaka's past few seasons:

At the time, however, the most serious question about Matsuzaka's future was not his overreliance on his heater, but whether his arm and shoulder would survive years of abuse.

After throwing astronomical numbers of pitches as a high schooler, Matsuzaka routinely threw 160 or more pitches in games under intellectually-challenged Lions manager Osamu Higashio.

Although a leg injury ruined Matsuzaka's 2002 season, a new manager meant lower pitch counts. The following year, Matsuzaka emerged as a complete pitcher.

Comments

[carneggy.livejournal.com]

And the $51.1 million was more than the total payroll of 5 different MLB teams last year...

[holmes-iv.livejournal.com]

Well, to be fair, if the talking is unsuccessful, they get the $51.1 extra-large back. But still. Yeah.

[signsoflife.livejournal.com]

That does make a big difference.

Though who do the 51.1 go to? The pitcher? The owner of the team who currently (hazy) owns his contract?

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

That ¥6 billion will be paid to the Seibu Lions, with whom Matsuzaka currently has a contract. The Lions' 2006 payroll was estimated by the players union to be ¥2.1 billion.

[signsoflife.livejournal.com]

Does it also cover buying out his contract, or is that separate?

[carneggy.livejournal.com]

It's not seperate - the $51.1 million gets paid to the Lions, then a MLB contract gets paid to Matsuzaka.

[eeyorecol.livejournal.com]

The $51.1 goes to the team that currently holds the rights to him, if he and the Red Sox come to an agreement and he signs with them. It's kind of like Real Madrid paying Manchester United for the rights to David Beckham a few years ago...

[carneggy.livejournal.com]

It's highly unlikely that either side will fail to get some sort of deal made; Matsuzaka wants out of Japan, the Lions need the money and the Red Sox have a bunch of reasons to complete the deal (like marketing and merchandising in Japan.)

[ishaa.livejournal.com]

Absolute worst case, the Red Sox get their money back and keep any other team (the Yankees) from signing him this year.

Also, all indications are that he is the real effing deal. Plus fastball, plus breaking ball, plus change, and either he throws the deadly and mysterious "Gyroball", or said pitch is "merely" a 90-mph slider with screwball break.

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

Yah, there was some speculation that the Red Sox bid high as a blocking move to prevent the Yankees--or the Mets, who had the second-highest bid--from signing him this year.

I've heard various reports about the gyroball. The best one said something about it coming from out of the Bermuda Triangle.