So Far, Is Dice-K Worth the Salary?

*This was linked on The Big Lead so thanks to them for grabbing the post.

When the Red Sox paid $51 million just for the right to talk to Daisuke Matsuzaka you had to scratch your head. Who the hell was this guy that had a secret, magical pitch? Maybe when it came down to the wire and no contract was worked out that should have been a clue. When the deal finally got done at the last minute the total cost to the Red Sox was $103 million, with the $62 contract added to the posting fee. The big question is, through his first season, which isn't over yet, was he worth the money?

Looking strictly at the numbers he was no where close to the savior and ace that many Red Sox fans thought he would be. He finished the regular season 15-12 with a 4.40 ERA. He did break the 200 inning mark with 204 2/3 innings and had a WHIP of 1.32. What I find interesting is his ERA against the other 3 AL playoff teams. Against the Yankees it was 6.12, the Indians 4.26, and he never faced the Angels in the regular season. He also had a 4.86 ERA at Fenway Park, which I believe is quite high for your homefield. During his first Fenway start when everyone was juiced to see him, he was outpitched quite handily by Felix Hernandez, who threw a 1-hitter and shutout the Red Sox.

Tonight in a pivotal game for the Red Sox because of tomorrow's starter Tim Wakefield and the game being on the road Dice-K couldn't make it out of the 5th inning. He gave up 4 runs and 6 hits in 4 2/3 innings. He didn't have his best stuff and got out of a jam in the 3rd that could have extended the Indian lead. It was not the performance the Red Sox or their fans were looking for at the price their paying.

So back to the original question: Is Dice-K worth the money? I realize that this season isn't over and this is only the 1st year of his 6 year contract. But with all the preseason hype and the ridiculous posting fee I think it's a fair question. Based on his 1st year numbers I do not think the Red Sox got what they paid for. He has been a solid middle of the rotation starter, but that's not what they were looking for. They thought they were signing a pitcher that you could throw out in a Game 7 and have no doubt about the performance you were going to get. Right now, I don't think they want him anywhere near a Game 7.