Zilla's Has Value Off The Field

post from A Die Hard Yankees Fan on 21 November 2009 05:30:00 PM. © A Die Hard Yankees Fan

While Matsui was earning $73 million in salary over seven seasons in pinstripes, he helped build Yankee - and Major League Baseball - business in Japan and the Bronx, whether by prompting Japanese companies to buy advertising signs at Yankee Stadium or drawing Japanese tourists to the stands. Matsui is a free agent and wants to return, but do the Yankees risk losing more than just a slugger if they do not re-sign him? Is possibly keeping him purely about baseball or is it a decision that strays into the Yankees' global business interests, too?

"He's very important over there because he enhances the Yankee brand in Asia significantly," said a baseball official with knowledge of the Yankees' finances, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "They've done well there. Does he get some of the credit? Yes. All of it? No. It's hard to quantify. It's no giant amount of money. The business part is not going to be a factor in this. This is a baseball decision, not a business decision."

Still, the Yankees would have to replace Matsui-related income if he's playing elsewhere. How much depends on who you ask. Sanspo, a Japanese news outlet, reported this week that the Yankees stood to lose as much as $15 million if Matsui did not return. Other estimates have been as high as $20 million per year. The baseball official disputes both figures.

...
[Matsui's agent Arn] Tellem added, "It's not a stretch to say Matsui is as responsible for Japanese interest in the Yankees as Yao Ming is for the NBA in China."

Tellem also say in an article on The Huffington Post that Matsui "helps bring in millions of dollars annually in marketing and sponsorship revenue. ... Six major Japanese companies - including Toyota, Sony and the Daily Yomiuri newspaper - have signed on as advertisers, each reportedly adding $1 million or so a year to team coffers."
The article also goes on to talk about the Japanese ads in the stadium that also bring the Yankees extra income, "one source suggested it was $3million to $4 million 'over the years.'"

This morning Ken Davidoff said that the Yankees main focus is reaching common ground with Damon, while Matsui is "less of a priority."