It’s hard to blame anyone — especially players — for trying to cash in.

“To suggest that this is some sort of craziness usually comes from people who don’t understand how athletes get paid,” said Rodney Fort, an economics professor at Washington State University who studies sports. “They’re not aghast when Mel Gibson makes $30 million for a movie.”

The Red Sox paid $51 million just for the rights to negotiate with Matsuzaka, or about $17 for each fan who makes his way to Fenway Park next year. They’ll likely spend nearly as much to sign him, despite the fact he’s never pitched in a major league game.

For that they get a 26-year-old with great stuff, including a specialty pitch called a “gyroball” that bends like a screwball and sizzles like a slider. He also has the potential to be the kind of starting pitcher who could have stopped the Yankees last August when they scored 47 runs in four games on the way to a five-game sweep that virtually eliminated the Red Sox from playoff contention.

Winning 20 games a year? $25 million. Beating the Yankees when it really counts? Priceless.

Salaries, of course, have been going up almost every year since Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally in 1975 successfully challenged the reserve clause that kept players bound to teams and prevented them from shopping themselves around. Last year, the average player earned about $3 million.

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Look for a big jump in that figure as the good times roll on, and this year’s relatively weak class of free agents signs on the dotted line. Even after that, there’s plenty of money to go around.

New stadiums will soon be sprouting up everywhere, two in New York alone. Taxpayers are picking up a large part of the tab, while teams get new luxury suites and premium seats for which they can charge even higher prices.

Forbes Magazine values the Yankees at more than $1 billion, and the market value of every major league franchise increased last year, most by double digit numbers.

As much as some people might be irritated by the sight of spoiled millionaires playing right field, the players have a right to their share of that, too.

“Suppose baseball players did make less money,” Fort said. “Do you think owners would cut ticket prices or sell hot dogs for less?”

No, and they wouldn’t drop the price of beer under $7.50 a cup, either.

So enjoy the free agency signings. Don’t wince when you see the prices teams pay.

Just hope that your team gets in on the action.

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