Tampa Bay seemingly didn’t have much need for Hideki Matsui when they signed him to a minor-league contract last month, but it turns out the price was low enough that it doesn’t really matter.
Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times has the details of Matsui’s contract and reports that he’d earn just $900,000 if the Rays call him up to the majors. By comparison, even with a limited market for his services last offseason Matsui managed a one-year, $4.25 million deal from the A’s.
Topkin also reports that Matsui is earning just $10,000 per month while at Triple-A, which is a low figure, but the Rays are also paying his public relations person and interpreter.