Angels bid for Japanese star

The Angels bid for star Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka this week and could find out by Monday whether they have won negotiating rights to him.

In this case, victory would come with a stiff price tag. The cost for obtaining negotiating rights and then signing Matsuzaka to a contract could approach $100 million.

The New York Yankees and Texas Rangers are the only other teams to have confirmed they bid on Matsuzaka, although the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks all have been listed as potential bidders in news reports.

Bidding closed this week, but the winning team -- and its bid -- have not been announced. Pat Courtney, a spokesman for Major League Baseball, said he did not expect an announcement before Monday.

“I’ve heard nothing,” Angels General Manager Bill Stoneman said late Friday. “Everybody’s curious on this one.”

In the absence of an announcement, rumors circulated frantically in baseball circles Friday. ESPN reported the Red Sox might have submitted the high bid, at between $38 million and $45 million.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported the Rangers might have bid $30 million; ESPN reported the Rangers might have bid $22 million.

A Boston television station reported the Angels might have the high bid, without offering an estimated amount.

Stoneman would not confirm the Angels had entered a bid, let alone for how much. A baseball source that confirmed the Angels’ bid did so on condition of anonymity, citing Commissioner Bud Selig’s edict that no team discuss the bidding process.

Matsuzaka, 26, the most valuable player of the World Baseball Classic, went 17-5 with a 2.13 earned-run average last season for Japan’s Seibu Lions. The Lions made Matsuzaka available via the posting process, in which major league teams place sealed bids for negotiating rights and the Lions decide whether to accept the highest bid.

Assuming they do, the winning team is identified publicly and has 30 days to negotiate a contract with Matsuzaka and his agent, Scott Boras. The contract could cover five years for another $50 million to $75 million.

If no agreement can be reached on a contract, Matsuzaka could return to the Lions, with the Japanese team refunding the bid money.

Although Matsuzaka could not negotiate with any other teams, the high price of a bid and subsequent contract reflects a shortage of top-tier pitching on the free-agent market beyond Barry Zito and Jason Schmidt. The free-agent signing period starts Sunday.

If the Angels sign Matsuzaka, they could trade one of their other starters for a center fielder or third baseman, perhaps offering Ervin Santana to the Toronto Blue Jays in a package for center fielder Vernon Wells.

Matsuzaka would become the first Japanese star to play for the Angels and could offer opportunities for owner Arte Moreno to expand the Angels’ brand into Asia. The Angels paid $1 million last summer to sign Young-Il Jung, 18, a top pitching prospect from South Korea.

*

bill.shaikin@latimes.com