(Hat tip Hot Foot).
The Boston Red Sox, who won the blind bidding for the rights to negotiate with Daisuke Matsuzaka for $51.1 million, are fast approaching the midnight Thursday deadline to get a deal squared away. The Sox are not overly optimistic that they will be able to get a deal done in time, as agent Scott Boras is apparently approaching these negotiations as if Matsuzaka were a true free agent.
Anthony at Hot Foot points out the interesting part of this tale as it pertains to the Mets, who were second in the bidding for D-Mat:
(13) The U.S. Commissioner shall have the authority to oversee the bidding procedures set forth in paragraphs (8) through (12) above to ensure that they not been undermined in any manner. Among other actions that he may deem appropriate and in the best interests of baseball, the U.S. Commissioner shall have the authority to revoke a U.S. Major League Club's exclusive negotiation rights with respect to a Japanese Player (and, subject to the Japanese Club's approval pursuant to paragraph (11) above, to award such rights to the next highest bidder, if any) and to declare null and void any contract between a Japanese Player and a U.S major League Club that the U.S. Commissioner deems was the result of conduct that was inconsistent with this Agreement or otherwise not in the best interests of professional baseball.The portion of the MLB agreement is via SoSH, so there is plenty of credibility there. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out, and whether one Alan "Bud" Selig would be inclined to award D-Mat's negotiating rights to the Mets should the boys from Beantown be unable to come to terms with the Japanese star.