Daisuke Matsuzaka returned to Japan on Tuesday from a brief visit to the United States he made after drawing a $51 million bid from the Boston Red Sox for the exclusive rights to negotiate with the Seibu Lions right-hander.
Daisuke Matsuzaka
KYODO PHOTOMatsuzaka said he "had good talks as a whole" with Red Sox owner John Henry, club officials and manager Terry Francona during his trip, which also included a get-together with his agent, Scott Boras.
Matsuzaka, who also met former Seibu teammate Kazuo Matsui of the Colorado Rockies, did not give any details of his talks with the Red Sox. He is scheduled to attend Seibu's fan event to be held at Invoice Seibu Dome on Thursday.
The Red Sox's offer was far higher than the $13.1 million the Seattle Mariners paid for Ichiro Suzuki in 2000, the previous high under the so-called posting system that enables Japanese players to sign up with a major league team before becoming free agents.