Hideki Matsui: A Cost-Effective LF/DH Option?
Since the Yankees enjoy the benefits of modern day primae noctis on the free agent market, it is a given that either Matt Holliday or Jason Bay (the #1 and #2 most expensive free agents this offseason) will be patrolling their vast left field in 2010. There are also grumblings that they plan on re-signing Johnny Damon and using him as a DH.
The odd man out in all of this is Hideki Matsui, an outfielder known for his consistent bat and his encyclopedic porn collection. Would he be a good alternative to Jason Bay / Matt Holliday, if the Sox decide to save a bunch of money for the bountiful free agent market of 2011 while remaining competitive next season?
Some pros:
- On the road, he hit .282/.358/.618 last season. In other words, his strong 2009 numbers are not an illusion created by that ill-conceived public urinal the Yankees play in (see Johnny Damon’s 2009 splits for an example of that).
- While he is left-handed, he hits lefties almost as well as righties. He can hit in just about any situation.
- He hits fly balls all over the field, despite being left-handed. Although he hasn’t had huge successes in Fenway throughout his career, there were close to 10 fly balls he hit in 2009 at Yankee Stadium which would have been doubles at Fenway.
The are some negatives:
- He is poor defensively. However, it’s been proven many times over that the Red Sox can win with a stone-footed hack in LF, as long as he hits the ball. Also, he would only need to play LF for 1 year, as David Ortiz is a free agent after the 2010 season.
- He is old, and will most likely be facing a steep decline soon. The trick, as always, is trying to determine exactly when that decline will occur. The Sox didn’t guess early enough in the cases of Mike Lowell and Jason Varitek, and there’s a chance that a Matsui contact could become a burdensome albatross for a year or two.
- He will not hit as many RF home runs in Fenway as he did in New York. However, this should be somewhat offset by his LF fly balls turning into doubles.
He could DH while Jeremy Hermida plays LF if Ortiz is struggling. He wouldn’t have too much trouble patrolling Fenway’s tiny left field.
It’s an option worth considering. Matsui will cost a lot less than either Bay or Holliday, and will not be looking for a 5 year commitment. He is not a Type A free agent, and would not cost the Red Sox any draft picks (Matt Holliday’s signing would cause the Sox to lost their 1st rounder). A move like this would allow the Red Sox to focus more of their finances on the 2011 free-agent market, which includes heavyweights like Joe Mauer and Roy Halladay.
What about David DeJesus? .307/.347/.434 last year. Not great, I know, and not quite the .274/367/.509 of Matsui…but…but…sigh…fine. It’s just that Matsui is so old and this lineup was so damn streaky last year, I’d hate to have to rely on a 50-year old to play every day.
[...] He could DH while Jeremy Hermida plays LF if Ortiz is struggling. He wouldn’t have too much trouble patrolling Fenway’s tiny left field. It’s an option worth considering. Matsui will cost a lot less than either Bay or Holliday, …Click Here [...]
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