NewsMatsui comfortable with future up in air
Series MVP knows he could be playing elsewhere in 2010
By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com
11/13/09 9:03 PM EST
NEW YORK -- One week after rolling down the Canyon of Heroes as the MVP of the World Series, Hideki Matsui said that his heart remains with the Yankees, though he understands that he may not.Matsui is a free agent now, coming off of his monster postseason, and the Yankees have not made any ovations toward retaining the 35-year-old designated hitter for a follow-up campaign in 2010. The idea of leaving on such a high note gives the Japanese slugger mixed feelings.
"If that happens, I think it would be disappointing," Matsui said through an interpreter. "On the other hand, it's something to look forward to. It means that it's going to be a new change and something different for me, a new challenge.
"In that sense, I'll definitely take it in a positive way. The Yankees have their own plans, too, and you have to respect that."
Matsui spoke on Friday at Chelsea Piers, where he was in attendance for Joe Torre's seventh annual Safe at Home Foundation gala event.
Matsui's agent, Arn Tellem, said this week that nothing has changed with his client's contract situation, and that the Yankees wouldn't likely get involved until after their organizational meetings in the near future.
"From my standpoint, there's just a lot of unknowns," Matsui said. "I really don't have an answer to that. Right now, my agent is taking care of the situation. I'm leaving it up to him and just going from there."
But Matsui confirmed that his mind is set on playing in the Major Leagues in 2010, and he is not considering returning to Japan.
"As of right now, no, I'm not thinking about going to Japan," Matsui said.
Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter said that he would like to see both Matsui and Johnny Damon return as the Bombers try to defend their World Series title.
"I would love it, because we won," Jeter said. "I would love to bring everybody back, but you understand it's a business. Unfortunately, that's the business side of things, but you'd love to have everybody back. They had a great year."
Dodgers manager Joe Torre had a front row seat for Matsui's emergence from 2003 through 2007, and called Matsui a "special player."
"Every time they brought a left-hander in, I remember Derek used to say, 'Oh, don't bring a left-hander in for Matsui. Don't do that,'" Torre said. "Invariably, he'd hit a double or a home run. The camera went to him in the dugout and it was like, 'I told you so.'
"He's a special young man. It sounds like he wants to stay with the Yankees and I hope he gets what he wants. With the physical problems he's had with his knees, the American League is probably a better option for him."
At the end of his seventh season with the Yankees, Matsui hit .615 (8-for-13) with three homers and eight RBIs in the World Series -- six of them in the final game, tying a 49-year-old World Series record set by another Yankee, Bobby Richardson.
"The two or three days after we won the championship were pretty crazy, just celebrating," Matsui said. "Right now, things have pretty much calmed down."
Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
