台灣時間今天凌晨正式被Post....（美國時間：Thursday afternoon）
星期四上午五點是bidding deadline...（美國時間：Wednesday 5 p.m. ET.)
11/02/2006 5:13 PM ET
Let the bidding for Matsuzaka begin
Japanese pitcher's negotiating rights formally posted by Lions
By Tom Singer / MLB.com
The clock has begun ticking on Daisuke Matsuzaka, the pitching sensation
who was formally "posted" by his Japan League club on Thursday afternoon.
The Seibu Lions' move officially opened bidding among Major League clubs
for exclusive negotiating rights to the 26-year-old right-hander, starting
a process that is expected to conclude with Matsuzaka signing a multiyear
contract to instantly become the winning team's ace.
The deadline for bids is Wednesday 5 p.m. ET.
The winning rights fee, foreseen as surpassing $20 million, will go to
Seibu as compensation for the loss of Matsuzaka, who followed up his MVP
selection in the inaugural World Baseball Classic in March by going 17-5
with a 2.13 ERA this year.
The winning bidder will have a 30-day window to hammer out a deal with
agent Scott Boras -- a contract that industry insiders project to go as
long as five years with an annual compensation of $10 million.
Thus, the total outlay for Matsuzaka could exceed $70 million, one reason
several teams apparently have gotten cold feet over getting involved in
the competition, which one MLB source predicted will "get real nasty."
Even before the official posting, the Mariners, Angels, Orioles and Giants
have reportedly removed themselves from the picture, according to various
published reports.
Other clubs, including the Yankees, Red Sox and Mets, remain enthusiastic
about a rare opportunity to land a young, polished No. 1 pitcher.
A 1998 top draft choice, who has captured each component of a pitcher's
Triple Crown (wins, strikeouts and ERA) multiple times in Japan, Matsuzaka
first attempted to answer the siren call of the Majors a year ago.
At that time, Seibu rejected his request to be posted. A year later, the
club did not wish to remain in his way.
Said Hidekazu Ota, the Lions' controlling owner: "Matsuzaka is a treasure
of Japanese baseball. We want to help realize his dream."
After two more Japan League seasons, Matsuzaka would've been eligible
for no-strings free agency, used by several veteran Japanese players as
their gateway to the big leagues.
The posting process, by comparison, has paved the way for such younger
stars as Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki.
In 2000, the Mariners bid $13 million for the rights to Ichiro, whom they
subsequently signed to a three-year, $14 million deal.
Tom Singer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the
approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 140.109.23.211
※ 編輯: yyhong68 來自: 140.109.23.211 (11/03 13:02)