Matsuzaka, Red Sox agree to terms

Results of ace's physical awaited to make 6-year, $52m deal official

December 14, 2006|Gordon Edes, Globe Staff

Doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital will have the final word, but assuming Daisuke Matsuzaka passes his physical, the best young pitcher in Japan will be pitching for the Red Sox next season.

The Red Sox and Matsuzaka, who met secretly with the Sox Tuesday night, came to terms yesterday on a six-year, $52 million contract after negotiations with agent Scott Boras in southern California and on a flight back to Boston produced an agreement. The deal, which is expected to be announced at a 5 p.m. press conference today in Fenway Park, came only one day before Boston's 30-day window to strike a deal with the 26-year-old righthander was set to expire at midnight. Matsuzaka's physical went without a hitch last night, with the sides awaiting only the results of some tests to make the deal official.

Principal owner John Henry late last night confirmed the deal after Boras did the same with ESPN.com. "The deal was finalized at the hospital," Henry said, "pending the physical."

The deal came only after Henry had sent CEO Larry Lucchino and general manager Theo Epstein to California Monday for negotiations with Boras, who had not responded with a counteroffer to the Sox' original proposal, and warned that Matsuzaka would return to his team in Japan if there was no change in Boston's position.

Epstein put a new offer on the table Tuesday and announced that Matsuzaka would come back with them on Henry's jet yesterday for a physical or there would be no deal. The talks lasted past 3 a.m., and included a clandestine meeting with Matsuzaka, who was ushered into Boras's law offices through a back door unbeknownst to the dozens of reporters keeping vigil out front.

Henry confirmed shortly after noon yesterday that Matsuzaka and Boras were flying back with Epstein, Lucchino, and team chairman Tom Werner. At that point, the framework of an agreement was in place, but there were still some contractual issues that needed to be agreed upon. Those issues, according to a source with direct knowledge of the talks, were personal in nature to Matsuzaka.

Henry's plane, a Dassault Mystere 900 tri-jet with the Red Sox logo adorning the tail, landed at Hanscom Field in Bedford just before 5:30 p.m.