WasWatching.com

$20M is not going to win the bid. Someone is going to blow everyone out of the water and bid $30-35M, and Tom Hicks is just the guy to do something like that.

Great. Then in two years we can hear about how Matsuzaka's big contract is the reason the Rangers can't win.

Great. Then in two years we can hear about how Matsuzaka's big contract is the reason the Rangers can't win.
========
Then who will the Yanks trade to get him? :)

$20 mil just to talk to the guy ? That is just dumb. There's alot of things a team can do with $20 mil in other countries don't you think. They could develop a group of young players for that kind of money.

I really think players who are not MLB "proven" should be asked to participate in a workout for the teams interested rather than pay a guy $20-40 mil and later find out he's an average Joe.

Time and time again Cashman says he wants to lower salary and promote within yet they keep participating in stupid shit like this.

Why is this stupid? The posting fee doesn't count against the luxury tax threshold, just the salary. And there are no 26-year-old pitchers with Matzusaka's ability available elsewhere. I think it'd be a great move.

Presuming Hughes (and Clippard) pan out, the Yanks' rotation in '08 could include two guys making the minimum (Hughes and Clippard, about $800K), Wang at say $4.5 mil, DM at $15 mil, and Moose at $12 mil = $32.3. Compare that to the $51 million or so the Yanks paid to just Unit, Moose, Glass Carl, and Wright in '06.

You make great points Shaun P. I still think its a lot of money for a guy with so many innings logged in. But you're definitely right when you mention the $51 mil they pay for those "has been's"...

And I agree with you, ynks4life, that all that mileage on DM's right arm is a risk; and that does bother me some. But the upside is worth it.

$20 mil actually sounds low to me. I was expecting a $25+ mil bid for Mats from the Yanks. If that's their bid, I expect another team to get him. :(

Well, would u pay 25 mill to get johan santana?

thats what this guy is in japan.

Anyone think that this is just a smokescreen and the actual bid from the Yankees will be much higher? This could've been leaked for a reason.

I would be utterly shocked if the Winning bid is not at least 30M.

As for developing young players, the Yankees are doing that anyway, they are spending like crazy on young internationals players anyway for a while now and some are already starting to pan out (wang /cano / Melky were all part of this, none of them were drafties)

I have a gut feeling that Hicks or some other hick (no pun intended? :P) will blow this thing away with a crazy bid, but if not the Yankees win it.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion about his talent. I see so many nay-sayers these days, it's hard to wade through the pessimism. No problem. In my opinion, with significant firsthand knowledge of this player, and many very wise and studied baseball people behind me, he will be an excellent Major League pitcher. He may be one of the Top 10 pitchers in the world.

I promise, on my honor, that should Matsuzaka end up a bust I will admit my mistake, and grovel for forgiveness. I expect that the doubters will be around offering their mea culpas if he's stellar. I think that's only fair.

The Yankees probably bid just over $25 million. I don't think the bids are as high as we all thought. I have absolutely ZERO knowledge of this of any kind, but the talk the last few days has been very shy from ballclubs, and I think people are a bit edgy about raising fans expectations given the money that will be tossed around just to negotiate. I think most teams will barely break $20 million, if they even go that high, and the Yankees will be right there at $25-ish. I don't know if anyone is going to be silly enough to go up to $30 million, but my gut tells me it won't even be close to that when it's all said and done.

I hope you're right and a "mere" $25 mil wins the auction for the Yanks. I'm reminded though, of how Tom Hicks outbid the next team when he was going after ARod, to the tune of $250 mil when all was said and done, and with his team's desperation for decent pitching I wouldn't be surprised by history repeating itself. Nor would I be surprised by Omar bidding outrageously high, although that's based less on history and more on intuition, which is not necessarily my long suit. Hopefully your prediction is right, though, and the Yanks rotation suddenly looks better than it has in years.