Ivan Rodriguez received his first offer from the Orioles last night, and in a surprise development, Japanese slugger Hideki Matsui received one, too.
Orioles officials returned from the winter meetings and put their fax machine through a workout, exchanging proposals with Rodriguez and making a last-ditch effort to land Matsui and help bolster their stagnant offense.
Rodriguez has a .305 career batting average in 12 major-league seasons, and Matsui hit 50 home runs last season in Japan.
Orioles executive vice president Jim Beattie declined to specify the length or financial terms of the two proposals, but he did say the club is ready to sign both players, if possible.
"It may take some adjusting," Beattie said. "I don't know if we're completely ready to take both of them onto our current payroll and not make other changes."
In other words, if the Orioles add Rodriguez and Matsui, they will try to move some other salary. Together they could command about $15 million per season.
Rodriguez, 31, was a 10-time All-Star catcher and 10-time Gold Glove Award winner with the Texas Rangers before hitting the free-agent market this fall. The Rangers declined to offer him arbitration, so the Orioles can sign him without forfeiting a draft pick.
He just finished a five-year, $50 million contract with the Rangers and is believed to be seeking a three- or four-year deal worth at least $10 million per season. His agent, Jeff Moorad, made the first move yesterday, faxing the Orioles a proposal late in the afternoon.
The Orioles took several hours before responding, and their proposal was likely for something closer to $6 million per season. Beattie said he expects to talk to Moorad again today.
"I wouldn't say we're exactly close," Beattie said. "His proposal was kind of where we thought his would be, and I'm sure our proposal is probably where he thought we'd be."
Moorad, who has exchanged similar proposals with other clubs, including the Chicago Cubs, also is expected to speak with the Cubs again today.
"At this point, we're going to continue discussions with interested clubs through the week," Moorad said. "And we hope to have a decision by the weekend."
The Orioles looked like they were out of the Matsui sweepstakes, with the New York media reporting the Yankees were close to signing him to a three- or four-year deal for between $6 million and $8 million per season.
But Matsui's agent, Arn Tellem, gave the Orioles a chance to make their best offer yesterday, and they quickly responded.
"He asked us to fax a proposal in fairly detailed terms, which we were completely prepared to do," Beattie said. "So we faxed it and e-mailed a copy to him. He said he was going to talk to Hideki, and [Matsui] could have a decision, as soon as [today]."
Tellem was in New York this weekend, while Beattie and Orioles vice president Mike Flanagan were at the winter meetings in Nashville, Tenn. Flanagan was in touch with Tellem by telephone, but the Orioles weren't sure they'd get a chance to negotiate.
"We've been trying to get on the horse," Beattie said. "We just couldn't get in the saddle."
Matsui, 28, became a free agent this fall after 10 seasons with the Yomiuri Giants. A left-handed-hitting outfielder, he hit .334 last season with 50 home runs and won his third Japanese Central League MVP award.
Besides the Yankees and Orioles, Matsui has drawn interest from the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers. He played center field last season in Japan, but scouts say he'll be a corner outfielder in the major leagues.
Though it's tough to gauge the market for Matsui, the Orioles say they are negotiating with Rodriguez in a position of strength.
"The market doesn't seem to be going up the way it has in the past," Beattie said. "There's a quote-unquote market correction going on. With the number of free agents out there, and the number of teams that have shown interest in signing [Rodriguez], we are in a fairly good position."