12.13.2006

UPDATE: Red Sox Flying High?

Strange how my blog post ridiculing Red Sox management came about and then within an hour reports came out the Sox brass were on John Henry's plane headed back to Boston... with Matsuzaka and Boras on board.

Apparently a deal has been struck, in principle, and they are headed to Beantown for a physical. The parameters and final wording is being/has been (if the flight has landed) worked out in route.

Now, while I do not think I had any part in this turn of events, I would reason that my POV was prbably the overriding theme among RSN and maybe our combined kinetic energy shifted the aggregate brain cramping of the involved parties long enough to produce a positive result.

OK, I'm stretching, but it was a cool coincidence.

I just had to say it...

The Red Sox are the joke of MLB.

And I say that as a faithful member of Red Sox Nation.

Here's what I don't get about the Red Sox:
Apparently they are offering 6 years @ $8 mil per. Boras wants $11 mil per.

The 6 years is agreed upon.

Everyone and their mother (RS Nation, Gammons, Olney, et al.) knew when the bid went to the Red Sox that this would be a $100 mil plus endeavor. And in fact, it's been pretty much known from Day 1 the price tag for Matsuzaka would be at least $10 mil per year.

Heck, the Sox coughed $10 mil a season up to Beckett- who by the way would be the #3 man (by skill, not by pay) in the rotation behind Schilling and Daisuke.

Right now, at a $3 mil per year gap between the RS and Boras, the Sox can split the difference (i.e., add $1.5 mil per year) and still be under the market for this kid at $9.5 mil per year long-term for 6 years.

That makes the deal $108,111,111.11 if you include the bid price. When you are talking Monopoly money like this, does a difference of $9 mil (the $51.1 mil bid + the Sox' $8 mil x 6yrs offer) really make or break this negotiation?

The Red Sox brass has become a laughing stock, and that 2004 World Series looks more and more like a fluke than sound planning based on their ongoing ineptitude since. Not re-signing Pedro, the Clemens begging/groveling, the Arroyo trade, no trades at last year's deadline, even the Beckett/Lowell trade- really what have they done right in the last 3 years? (Other than extending Big papi's contract.)