"We're on Scott Boras's doorstep because he hasn't negotiated with us so far," Henry said, frustration registering in his voice during a post-midnight conference call with reporters. "We're taking the fight directly to him to try to have a negotiation here."
Epstein said that he and Lucchino intend to present a new offer to Boras today, even though the club never received a counter offer to its original proposal. The offer, Epstein said, is of "considerable magnitude," describing it as the biggest offer given to a player who has never played in the big leagues and larger than any offer given to a Japanese player.
"It's highly unusual," Epstein said of submitting a second offer without receiving a response to the first, "but it's showing that Matsuzaka is extremely important to the Boston Red Sox. It's normally not a good ploy, but we want to demonstrate to Matsuzaka, and the fans of Japanese baseball, just how important he is to us."
But Henry, in a comment made after the conference call, gave further indication of his frustration with the Sox inability to communicate directly with the 26-year-old Matsuzaka. Until last night, the team has not commented on negotiations since Lucchino, in a press conference in Japan, announced that the team had made a "comprehensive" offer to the player.
"You make your best offer," Henry said, "and just hope the player receives it."
Asked if that meant he had some doubts about whether Matsuzaka has been kept fully abreast of negotiations, Henry said: "I think I'll stick with that quote."
Epstein said that he hopes to be taking Matsuzaka and Boras back to Boston tomorrow on Henry's plane for a physical that is a prerequisite to a deal being struck. Asked if the sides could make a deal without a physical being given, Epstein said it is club policy not to do so.
But there is considerable doubt that a deal will be done. Hours before the Sox held a press conference with a group of reporters, primarily Japanese, then went on the conference call, Boras held a press conference in his Newport Beach, Calif., offices.
"If the parties' positions remain the same," he said, "Daisuke will return to Japan."
Boras insisted it was his hope that the sides could bridge their differences.
