BOSTON (AP) - The Boston Red Sox cannot reduce their $51.1 million bid for Daisuke Matsuzaka in order to sign him, even if his Japanese team agrees to take less, baseball officials said Tuesday.
"There are no side deals in the situation," said Jimmie Lee Solomon, executive vice president of baseball operations in the commissioner's office. "Everybody's been assured that's not allowed, and everybody's been made aware of the rules." A Red Sox official said the team is not trying to reduce the bid, called a posting fee, which was by far the highest in baseball history. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the team is not commenting publicly on the negotiations.
Solomon said the posting process was clear to all teams before it started. There has been no complaint about Boston's handling of the matter, and no reason to believe the Red Sox are not following the rules, he said.
"There were some reports that we heard, but those reports proved to be not true," he said.
Boston bid $51.1 million for the right to negotiate with Matsuzaka, the MVP of the World Baseball Classic in March. The team has until the end of Dec. 14 to sign him or he would return to the Seibu Lions for another season before he could be posted again.
If so, the Red Sox would keep their money. Reports from Japan, where Red Sox president Larry Lucchino went to negotiate a long-term "working relationship" with Seibu, centered on the possibility that the Lions would pitch in for Matsuzaka's contract to make the deal happen.
"That would not be allowed," Solomon said. "The deal is that the Red Sox are to pay the Lions the posting fee. They are to negotiate (Matsuzaka's contract) free from any other negotiations that might be going on."
Lucchino said in Japan that the Red Sox have sent a fair and comprehensive offer to Matsuzaka's agent, Scott Boras, as a follow-up to the record-setting bid.
"(It's) obviously a historical number but we are talking about a national living treasure and an exceptional baseball player," Lucchino said. "We know it's been his dream to play in the major leagues and we are proud that he will live out his dream in Boston with the Boston Red Sox."
