Say What?!!

Welcome to Hypocrisy City, USA...

This week, those crafty Yankees won the posting rights to Japanese fireballer Kei Igawa after mustering the very cute winning bid of $26,000,194 (194 was his strike out total -- how adorable is that).

It was less than two weeks ago that the Red Sox were being scolded for posting a winning offer of $51.1 million for the rights to negotiate with the surest thing to come out of Japan since the Spicy Tuna Roll, Daisuke Matsuzaka.

New York newspapers killed the Red Sox. I mean $51 million dollars just to talk? Come on right?

I wrote a while back how I loved the move and thought the juice was worth the squeeze. Matsuzaka, a combonation of Elvis Presley and Michael Jordan in Japan, is supposed to be an ace. I am no scout, but everything that we read and everything that we remember from the World Baseball Classic suggests that the Red Sox got their hands on a real gem.

For 5 years and roughly $100 mil, the Sox had their Ace. They got a #1 at best and at worst #2 starter for the next 5 years. But, potentially of greater significance, the Sox got their hands on the biggest thing in Asia. They immediately put themselves on the map in the growing market of the Far East, and might have become the face of MLB in Japan on the heels of this move.

This is the equivalent of Real Madrid's paying over 40 million euros a few years back for the rights to David Beckham.

And now we have our beloved Yankees.

This move, at least on paper, takes the cake as potentially their dumbest move yet. Maybe they were jealous of the Sox. Maybe like my boys Team Facelift, they too wanted to be "Famous in Japan."

(Plug -- check out teamfacelift.com, the official white rap group of Y2k)

Whatever their reasoning, it just seems like it was unbelievably flawed.

Having paid a "smudge" over $26 mil for his rights, and likely to pay him around $4-$5 mil per season over 4-5 years leave the Yankees paying this guy somewhere around 4-5 years at about $11 million dollars per season.

That's $11 million dollars per season for a back of the rotation guy.

Take a minute and realize how much money that is, and then take a look at your cubicle or around your office (if you're lucky). I just looked at the banana peel and empty cup of coffee on my table and shed a tear.

But $11 mil per.

Even in this ever so crazy market, $11 mil is worth something.

The Yankees just paid Mussina about $11 per to stick around the Bronx for two more years. He was a top 10 starter in the AL last year.

Then there is Igawa. My main man Kei Igawa. The newest of Yankees.

Apparently this guy is a #4 starter at best.

Remember a couple of days ago when our jaws dropped after seeing the Phils pay $24 mil over 3 years ($8 mil per) for Adam Eaton, a PROVEN #4 and maybe even #3 starter?

Well the Yankees just paid $11 mil per, for potentially two more years, for an UNPROVEN #4.

I am scratching my head here. I am just really confused.

David Wright seems to be too: "I just don't know. I'd have to see him when he's in midseason form. You send a guy up there after a month layoff and you can't get a handle on a guy."

Wright saw this guy when He, Glass and Coach Julio went over to Japan. He was apparently unimpressed.

The move makes very little sense to me.

It's like asking, would you rather spend $20 mil on Johan Santana or $11 mil on Steve Trachsel?
I'm not saying Igawa is Trachsel.

They could only be so lucky. Trachsel is a 15 game winner in this league. How many #4's can say that?

Who knows what this guy will become, but early indiciations are that the Yankees got flossed here.

Wouldn't you rather spend that $50 mil on Jeff Suppan? A scary thought considering that guy is Jeff Suppan, but seriously?

I can see the headlines now:

"We need to lock this guy up and throw away the KEI!"

Vaya con dios,

Sip