Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka Worth the Money

When is a pitcher worth $52 million? When his name is Daisuke Matsuzaka. The talk of the Japan's Pacific League since he broke onto the scene in 1999 with the Seibu Lions, Daisuke Matsuzaka is now the talk of Major League Baseball.

Daisuke Matsuzaka was signed by the Boston Red Sox in December to a six-year deal with a seemingly steep price tag of $52 million. The Boston Red Sox paid $51.1 million just for the bidding rights to Matsuzaka. The entire deal - including the bidding right and contract - totaled $103.1 million.

Daisuke Matsuzaka's deal included a $2 million signing bonus, a $6 million salary in 2007, an $8 million salary each of the following three seasons (2008-2010) and a staggering $10 million salary in each of his final two seasons (2011-2012). And that's all before he throws his first pitch. His contract more than doubles the largest Major League Baseball contract for a Japanese player - the three-year, $21 million deal the Yankees gave Hideki Matsui in 2002.

With the signing comes the Japanese media. The signing of a player of Daisuke Matsuzaka's caliber alone will bring worldwide coverage to the Boston Red Sox, much like Nomomania did to Los Angeles when Hideo Nomo broke the Japanese-Major League barrier in the 1990s. That success continued with Ichiro Suzuki, who stole the show in Seattle as a rookie in 2001. Both of those players won Rookie of the Year Awards - though they weren't rookies in the true sense of the word. Suzuki was also named American League MVP in 2001.

There's no reason to think Daisuke Matsuzaka won't live up to those standards. What else could be expected of a player whose nickname was "Monster" in Japan.

During his time in Japan's Pacific League, Daisuke Matsuzaka earned Rookie of the Year honors in 1999 with a 16-5 mark along with a 2.60 ERA. In his first season he faced Ichiro Suzuki for the first time, striking him out three times. Daisuke Matsuzaka has been at his best in recent years. His ERA has been below 3.00 each of the last four seasons. He topped out with a 17-5 mark and a 2.13 ERA in 2006. He also struck out 200 batters in 186.1 innings while walking just 34 batters. In his eight-year career, he has a career record of 108-60 with a 2.95 ERA and 1,355 strikeouts in 1,402 innings.

Daisuke Matsuzaka garnered the attention of Major League Baseball clubs in the inaugural World Baseball Classic held in March of 2006. He was named the tournament's MVP after putting together a 3-0 mark, which included a win over Cuba in the championship game. Matsuzaka was also part of Japan's bronze medal team in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

Daisuke Matsuzaka, 26, throws a 90-96 mile per hour fastball with late movement. He also throws a split-finger fastball, changeup, slider and curveball. In Japan, Matsuzaka's first taste of fame came in 1998 when he pitched Yokohama High School into the Koshien tournament. In the final, he pitched a no-hitter, earning the attention of scouts. He was the first pick of Japan's 1998 draft, going to the Seibu Lions.

Matsuzaka will get his first taste of Major League action within a month. Matsuzaka, who has been stellar during the spring, will join a Red Sox rotation that includes Curt Schilling, converted reliever Jonathan Papelbon and knuckleballer Tim Wakefield.

Matsuzaka could be the difference in first and second place for the Red Sox, who missed the playoffs for the first time in four years last season. The Red Sox finished 11 games behind the New York Yankees and one game back of the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East. This deal proves that Boston is willing to do what it takes to get back to the top.