Matsuzaka winner known today

Jon Heyman at Sports Illustrated, writes about Daisuke Matsuzaka:

The winner of the Daisuke Matsuzaka sweepstakes will be known in the States by Monday, people involved in the discussions told SI.com. While the winning team has been kept quiet, one person in the know suggested there were multiple bids in the $30 million range, and perhaps even a little higher.

The Seibu Lions are expected to accept a posting fee for Matsuzaka that should trump their lofty expectations. ESPN.com reported that the Red Sox bid between $38-45 million, and some competing executives are taking the lack of denial of this story by MLB people as a sign Boston is indeed the high bidder -- even if those figures are slightly off. While industry scuttlebutt had Boston's bid at "close to $40 million,'' one person indicated the reported $38-45 million range was "not correct.'' But if Boston's bid was just a million or two lower than that range, it's still hard to see someone else landing Matsuzaka. It is believed that both the Mets and Yankees bid closer to the $30 million neighborhood.