Everybody wins with Matsuzaka deal

經過了整整30天的交涉

D-Mat和BoSox的合約終於在最終期限美東時間週四午夜前拍板敲定

BoSox付出5,200萬美金的代價（若表現傑出另有800萬美金的獎金）...

簽下這位今年MLB球員市場上最令人矚目的大魚

加上贏得談判權所需付出的5,110萬天價標金

為了得到這位尚未有機會在MLB舞台證明自己能力的平成怪物

BoSox總計得付出令人瞠目結舌的1億零310萬美金...



不過當D-Mat的合約問題塵埃落定後

BoSox等於擁有了傲視全美聯...甚至是全大聯盟的rotation

除了陣中兩位高齡40歲的名投Curt Schilling及Tim Wakefield外

最令對手提心吊膽的是...

另外三位可能先發投手人選D-Mat, Josh Beckett和Jonathan Papelbon

都僅僅只有26歲...

除了D-Mat剛出爐的6年合約

Beckett和球隊還有4年合約...Papelbon和BoSox的合約也還有5年的有效期限

因此在未來4年間...這三位正值巔峰的投手將成為美聯打者最可怕的夢靨



身為BoSox最大競爭對手...並且在幾個月前的季後賽中親身證實一個真理

"只要投手表現優異, 再強大的打線也會被壓制" 的Yankees

現在應該是寢食難安了吧...



對了...BoSox的球迷似乎不想用D-Mat這個紐約媒體首先引用的稱呼

而偏好Dice-K這個綽號...

恩...我似乎已經看到未來BoSox將會推出一系列上面有著骰子圖案的相關商品

企圖藉由紀念品收入來讓球迷一同分擔這筆鉅額投資...



Everybody wins with Matsuzaka deal

Ken Rosenthal / FOXSports.com

Posted: December 14, 2006



When all is said and done, the Red Sox's total payout for Japanese right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka likely will be similar to what left-hander Barry Zito commands as a free agent.



The final numbers — $103 million (six years, $52 million in salary, plus the $51.1 million Boston will pay to the Seibu Lions) — are a triumph for the Red Sox, and a triumph for Matsuzaka, too.



The Sox secured long-term control over Matsuzaka even though his agent, Scott Boras, wanted to make the pitcher a free agent as quickly as possible.



Matsuzaka, 26, gained the opportunity to enter Major League Baseball in his prime, rather than play two more years in Japan before becoming a free agent.



His salary would be higher if the Sox hadn't paid $51.1 million for his rights, but Matsuzaka won't exactly suffer financially, commanding perhaps $20 million per season in endorsements.



In the end, everybody wins — even Boras, who did not get the deal he wanted, but protected the interests of his client, helping him fulfill his desire to pitch in the majors.



The posturing is over. The reputations of both Boras and the Red Sox in Japan are secure. And suddenly, the Sox boast — potentially - the best rotation in the AL East.



Along with right-handers Curt Schilling and Tim Wakefield, both 40, the rotation will feature three 26-year-old righties — Matsuzaka, Josh Beckett and Jonathan Papelbon.



Matsuzaka is something of a mystery; he could prove to be a $100 million bust. But most major-league teams project him as a top-of-the-rotation starter, not the next Hideki Irabu.



Perhaps now Sox fans can stop dreaming about the return of free-agent right-hander Roger Clemens. Then again, Clemens is a special case, and money doesn't seem to be an issue for the Sox, does it?



It's not inconceivable that the Sox could sign Clemens and trade Beckett for a closer; they didn't rule out the possibility of moving Beckett when rival clubs asked about him at the winter meetings.



Still, the Sox have control over Beckett for four years, Papelbon for five and Matsuzaka for six. Lefty Jon Lester, recovering from lymphoma, also could be part of that group. He expects to report to spring training, and he's only 22.



The Yankees don't possess nearly as strong a pitching foundation; perhaps no team does. And, given the escalating price of starting pitchers, the Red Sox's advantage only figures to grow.



Their chances next season, though, remain in question. The Sox still need a closer, and they figure to be below-average offensively at three positions — first base, second and center field.



No one knows how shortstop Julio Lugo and right fielder J.D. Drew will adjust to Boston. No one knows whether left fielder Manny Ramirez will play hard or sulk all season.



For that matter, no one knows how Matsuzaka will adapt to pitching every fifth day instead of every sixth, pitching in a new country, pitching against formidable AL East offenses.



What's more, the chances of Matsuzaka staying healthy for all six years are perhaps slimmer than they are for other pitchers, given his huge backload of innings dating back to high school.



The Sox surely would prefer greater certainty for their $103.1 million, but they'll benefit from newfound marketing opportunities and an increased presence in Japan.



If Matsuzaka pitches as well as Zito — a reasonable possibility, given Zito's declining strikeout rate and rising opponents' OPS — the Red Sox actually might look back on the deal as a bargain.



Relatively speaking, of course.



Ken Rosenthal is FOXSports.com's senior baseball writer.