Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and Arn Tellem, the agent for Hideki Matsui, were scheduled to meet face-to-face late last night, and contract negotiations were expected to enter the final stages. The Yankees are optimistic Matsui will sign a four-year deal worth $50 million. As both sides close in, Tellem appears to be focusing on increasing the average annual salary more than adding another year into the deal, as per Matsui's preference. "I don't care much about the number of years," Matsui told Kyodo News Sunday. "You might think the longer a deal runs, the better. But it's not necessarily so because I can be given the same opportunity as I have now again if it runs over a relatively short period." Last night's meeting was to have marked their first in-person meeting since Tellem flew in from Los Angeles late Saturday. Although they have kept in touch over the phone, Tellem has spent most of his time meeting with Matsui to discuss the issues.