The Yankees have a lot on their free-agent plate this winter with DJ LeMahieu, James Paxton, J.A. Happ and Masahiro Tanaka all testing the market. Speaking of Tanaka, the right-hander has reportedly narrowed his free-agent options down to two choices. According to Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media, Tanaka plans to either sign with the Yankees or return to his native Japan.
Tanaka, a two-time All-Star for the Bombers, is only interested in pitching for a contender, prioritizing winning over money. The veteran hurler had previously been linked to the Angels, who have a Japanese ace of their own in former Rookie of the Year Shohei Ohtani, though Miller doesn’t see that as a likely destination for the 32-year-old.
Though probably better suited as a middle-of-the-rotation arm than a frontline starter, Tanaka has been productive throughout his Bronx tenure, logging 78 wins, 991 strikeouts (8.46 K/9) and a respectable 3.74 ERA over 174 appearances in pinstripes with all but one of those coming as a starter. He’s been similarly successful in October, owning a 5-4 lifetime record in the postseason (10 starts).
Per Miller, Tanaka has planned “for years” to end his professional career with the Japan-based Rakuten Golden Eagles, who he pitched seven seasons for before defecting to the Yankees on a seven-year, $155-million contract in 2014. If Tanaka decides to stay in the Big Apple, it’s likely he’d settle for a short-term deal (one or two years) in the range of $12 million annually.
GM Brian Cashman expressed earlier this month New York likely won’t address Tanaka—or any of its other free agents, for that matter—until a resolution is reached with LeMahieu, the reigning AL batting champ and a finalist for MVP each of the past two seasons. Most reports suggest LeMahieu prefers to stay in New York, though to this point, the Yankees have balked at his steep $25-million-a-year asking price.
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