David Sweet • E-mail

For the average fan toiling to pay the upcoming winter's heating bills, the move seems to be a jaw-dropper: The Boston Red Sox chose to bid more than $50 million just for the right to sign a Japanese pitcher unknown in the United States.

That's more than three times the salary paid by the Florida Marlins — to their entire team in 2006. In fact, it surpasses the salaries paid by a half-dozen teams to their 25-man roster this past season. The Red Sox bid represents about a quarter of the revenue the franchise raked in during the 2005 season.

Not only that, the $51.1 million amount is merely a down payment on Daisuke Matsuzaka, ace right-hander for the Seibu Lions — Boston is likely to spend another $50 million to sign him before the Dec. 14 deadline (if the Red Sox don't sign him, they don't have to pay the rights fee).

So is this a nine-figure boondoggle by a franchise who could never make up the cost by increasing ticket revenue in their cramped ballpark, a quixotic attempt to overtake the New York Yankees while mortgaging the future?

Far from it. The move could be a bonanza for the venerable franchise.

Take Seattle outfielder Ichiro Suzuki as an example. Before the Mariners signed him more than five years ago from the Orix Blue Wave of the Japan League, they bid to pay a rights fee of more than $13 million just to negotiate with him, and eventually agreed to a $14 million pact for three years with Suzuki for a $27 million investment.

After No. 51 debuted, the team priced Ichiro-signed baseballs for about $200 in its Safeco Field store. That number quickly jumped to $1,000; Japanese fans couldn't get enough of them. Japanese companies such as Nintendo and Nissan struck deals to advertise at Safeco Field. NAK-TV in Japan paid to broadcast all 81 home games. Amazon.com unveiled a Seattle Mariners store at its Japan site.

For the Mariners' bottom line, the Ichiro contract signing and rights fee — including his subsequent contract once the three-year pact expired — has paid off handsomely. According to Forbes magazine, the small-market Mariners averaged $163 million a year in revenues during the first five seasons of Ichiro-mania, trailing only the Red Sox, Yankees and New York Mets. At the same time, the franchise's worth skyrocketed to $414 million, a far cry from its initial cost of $6.5 million in the 1970s.

Though one could argue the benefits of the Ichiro signing prompted the Red Sox move, perhaps the success of their hated rivals, the Yankees, with Hideki Matsui was even more of a factor. According to The New York Times, a Japanese newspaper bought a sign in left-center field at Yankee Stadium for about $800,000 to take advantage of Matsui chasing down fly balls there. An estimated 50 million people in Japan watched the first game where Ichiro and Matsui played against each other.

David Carter, executive director of the USC Sports Business Institute, says that as long as the 26-year-old pitches well (Matsuzaka forged a 2.13 ERA last season) and the Red Sox stay competitive, the franchise's seemingly exorbitant expense will pay off.

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"His contributions will go a long way to recovering the $50 million initial investment," Carter said. "And to the extent he can help the team further penetrate Asian markets, the Red Sox will be poised to extend their global brand, and, in the process, increase revenue and build franchise value."

What's good for its franchises is also good for Major League Baseball. Estimates of MLB's ever-growing international revenue have passed $100 million, the lion's share from Japan.

"International players add enormous credibility to MLB in an increasingly borderless sports business world," Carter said. "Combining the sport’s history and tradition with the recent influx of foreign stars allows it to position itself as one of the world’s leading sports."

For the Red Sox, it looks like they've finally learned a history lesson. When they sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees for $300,000, they gained quick cash — and lost subsequent millions in ticket revenue, World Series appearances and brand identity. With Matsuzaka, they're spending the budget of a small nation upfront — but within a few generations, the owners may find their yen for the pitcher is well-rewarded.

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