Hideki Matsui Minor League Contract: Former Yankee Moves to Minors
Former Yankee's player Hideki Matsui has been moved down to the minor leagues, and has just signed a contract with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Rays announced Monday that a deal had been made which released Matsui to the minor league team. The 37-year-old player spend the first 10 seasons of his career with a Japanese-based team called the Yomiuri Giants. Following his stint with that team the player signed with the New York Yankees for a total of seven seasons before becoming a free agent in 2009. Matsui then moved on to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and later to the Oakland Athletics.
Matsui boasts a successful career, with a reward for winning the World Series Most Valuable Player. His contract with Oakland Athletics, during which he hit his career 500th home run, lasted for only a year and Matsui again became a free agent in 2011.
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Tampay Bay expressed their excitement about receiving the new player on their team.
"It's absolutely wonderful to have this guy in our organization," manager Joe Maddon, who offered no timeframe for Matsui to reach Triple-A or the Majors, told MLB.com. "One thing Andrew [Friedman] always talks about is adding depth. During the course of a championship season, your depth is always challenged. My goodness, this is a wonderful person to have when you're considering depth within the organization."
Matsui's former Yankee manager also spoke highly of the player, considering him a good guy to have around.
"They're getting a true professional, a wonderful teammate for a lot of guys, a wonderful friend in that room," Joe Girardi said. "To me, he was a great player for the Yankees and he had a pretty good second half last year. My thought is they're getting a good player and a good guy to have in the clubhouse."
