30 million just to negotiate with Matsuzaka? WTF?

[centris]

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Though if it leads to something like this I will enjoy it. Quoted from Buster Onley Blog on ESPN

"The Orioles could post a huge bid -- say $50 million -- and blow everybody else out of the water. With exclusive negotiating rights, they then could offer Matsuzaka a take-it-or-leave-it minimum bid, like a six-year, $6 million deal. Matsuzaka and agent Scott Boras, with just 30 days to negotiate and with no ability to generate a competing bid from another major league team, would have the stark choice of taking the Orioles' lowball offer or remaining in Japan."

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I have heard this discussed before in other forums, but always by random posters not people supposedly in the know. I really don't think this will happen. If teams start doing this the whole system breaks down.

I think that it explicitly states in the agreement between MLB and the Japan baseball league that the winning team must negotiate in good faith. I think that the commisioner's office of MLB wants this system to work and if it was clear that a team was delibrately trying to screw it up they could be penealized. From what I read elsewhere (USS mariner which is down right now or I would post a link) Bud Selig really does not want this to happen and will try to stop it.

[metsandfinsfan]

i'd say there is a 85% chance he is a Yankee next year

[Kneel B4 Zod]

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Who would honestly pay this just to negotiate with him?

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duh

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I might be dumb, but I'm not sure if I'm on the same page as you. Are you meaning just the Yanks or Yanks/Sox/Mets/Angels/Mariners. Cause I feel its those 5 in the running.

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yeah, I was only half serious. his salary alone means only a handful of teams will be in the running. Re: $30m to just negotiate, well it doesn't make a lot of sense unless it is guaranteed somehow (like the money is rolled into the contract he ends up signing).

I don't think any team is going to pay $30m to simply talk to the guys, without any guarantees of anything.

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The winning bidder gets the posting fee back if they can't come to a contract agrement.

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I did not realize that. I mean, that changes things... but not that much IMO.

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Though if it leads to something like this I will enjoy it. Quoted from Buster Onley Blog on ESPN

"The Orioles could post a huge bid -- say $50 million -- and blow everybody else out of the water. With exclusive negotiating rights, they then could offer Matsuzaka a take-it-or-leave-it minimum bid, like a six-year, $6 million deal. Matsuzaka and agent Scott Boras, with just 30 days to negotiate and with no ability to generate a competing bid from another major league team, would have the stark choice of taking the Orioles' lowball offer or remaining in Japan."

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or they could just offer him a 15 year, $1.99 contract! muhahahha

[Propertarian]

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"The Orioles could post a huge bid -- say $50 million -- and blow everybody else out of the water. With exclusive negotiating rights, they then could offer Matsuzaka a take-it-or-leave-it minimum bid, like a six-year, $6 million deal. Matsuzaka and agent Scott Boras, with just 30 days to negotiate and with no ability to generate a competing bid from another major league team, would have the stark choice of taking the Orioles' lowball offer or remaining in Japan

[/ QUOTE ] No, this isn't how it works. If the two sides fail to reach an agreement within the 30 day period, the next highest bidder gets to negotiate with the player. Matsuzaka would just refuse the deal and then the Yankees will still get him.

[MEbenhoe]

So, can someone explain to me, is this $30 million fee for every team that puts in a bid, or just a fee the team that ends up signing him has to pay? That would be crazy if his Japanese club could make $150 million because 5 teams put bids in.

[THAY3R]

It's a fee that only the highest bid has to pay and only if they come to a contractual agreement with Matsuzaka.

[TheRover]

Highest bid wins the right to negotiate. It's like an auction. You bid $1 on something, I bid $2, I win, you are out $0 dollars, I use too many commas.

[MEbenhoe]

This whole bidding thing reminds me of The Scout. Hopefully Matsuzaka is as good as Steve Nebraska [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Propertarian]

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So, can someone explain to me, is this $30 million fee for every team that puts in a bid, or just a fee the team that ends up signing him has to pay? That would be crazy if his Japanese club could make $150 million because 5 teams put bids in.

[/ QUOTE ] No. But it's not exactly like an auction. All the teams put in a single, secret bid that cannot be changed. Whichever team bids the highest gets a chance to negotiate with the player first. IF the two sides come to an agreement within the thirty days, THEN the Japanese club gets the fee equal to the highest bid from the team that put that bid in (in this case, it will be about 30 mil$). IF they do not reach agreement, then the next highest bidding team gets 30 days to try and reach agreement; and if they do, that team pays the fee they agreed to in the secret bid.

The Japanes team can only get the fee from one team; and it will be equal to what the team that signs the player put in as a bid.

[Propertarian]

Based on the best projections we have, Matsuzaka > Schmidt or Zito (the top two U.S. pitchers on the market this year), and younger.

For my part, I think Matsuzaka will dominate the U.S. from the start i.e. 200+ innings with an ERA around 3 in the AL, lower in the NL of course.