Sox make highest bid, unsure if winners

Buster Olney is now reporting not as speculation but as informed fact through good sources that the Red Sox have made the highest bid for the rights to Daisuke Matsuzaka. The bid is understood to be between $38m and $45m, which is a quite staggering amount just for the rights to speak to a player. Should the Red Sox now go ahead and sign the Japanese star then they will have to fork out at least another $38m on his contract due to a rule in the posting process meaning you have to at least match the amount posted in a players contract.

However there is talk and rumour flying across messageboard nation that the only reason the Seibu Lions have yet to accept the bid is the bid may not of been made in good faith, and that the Red Sox just want to keep Matsuzaka away from the Yankees for the 2007 season.

The last time the Yanks and the Sox went heads up for an international FA was Jose Contreras when the Yankees seemingly stole the Cuban from right under the Sox' noses.

Of course nothing official yet but this is the clearest news as yet on this much anticipated story.