I really like this deal. It is way better than the 11/6 that Boras had been originally seeking. If it is 52/6 as reported, that is like 8.66 per year. Considering Gil Meche, whose lowest ERA is 3.78, singed for 55/5, I think Matsuzaka is a steal at the price we paid for him (His HIGHEST ERA is 3.97 once and all others are lower than 3.6).
Lots of people will say, "Yeah, but we had to pay 52 million to post, so it is really, 104 million over 6 years or around 17 Million per year". However, to them, I have to agree with Boras. The Sox (and every other team) could have waited two more years and avoided posting that amount. And if he were a free agent this year, it is likely Dice-K would have negotiated a price WAY over 11 million per year. So we had to pay a little premium to get his services early, but in the long run it took money off the top of Dice-K's contract and ensured we wouldn't have to compete with other teams down the road.
So I say great deal!
I like the looks of that rotation VERY much! But I'm not sure how long Wake stays in the starting rotation. He has always been successful out of the pen and his back might not be completely healed. I wouldn't be too suprised to see Tavares getting turns in the rotation if Wake falters at all after Julian's late season success in that role last year.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fishsmith
Shilling
Becket
Papelbaum
D-Mat
Wakefield
Not a bad looking starting 5. I'm looking forward to the new year - Go Sox!!
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