Robinson Cano has dominated all Yankees-related headlines for the past few weeks, but with the other offensive additions they've made, losing Cano might not be the most impactful move they make this offseason.
The Yanks want to upgrade their pitching, and hoped to do so by signing Japanese star Masahiro Tanaka away from the Rakuten Golden Eagles. A new posting system for international free agents has been implemented however, limiting bids to a maximum of $20 million; two seasons ago the Nippon Ham Fighters received a whopping $51.7 million for Yu Darvish.
The recent restrictions led to reports that Rakuten may just keep Tanaka on the team, but new information has the Golden Eagles still letting Tanaka head stateside. Ben Badler of Baseball America wrote, "So in the end, while the Eagles are obviously upset that they won't be making as much money off Tanaka as they were anticipating, if Tanaka wants to make the jump to MLB this season, it's expected that they will let him go.
"A $20 million posting fee is still a substantial amount of money for the Eagles, who control Tanaka's rights for two more seasons. If they choose not to post him this winter, Tanaka would be only one year away from true free agency, at which point Tanaka might prefer to not be posted and wait another year to sign without any restrictions, leaving the Eagles without any compensation. As one MLB team official put it, whether the Eagles were counting on $60 million or $20 million for Tanaka, in the end, it's likely $20 million or nothing."
Last season Tanaka was a revelation, compiling a ridiculous 24-0 record, to go with a 1.27 ERA and 183:32 strikeout to walk ratio that has scouts and executives drooling. He would join fellow countryman Hiroki Kuroda, who was the Yankees' best starter in 2013 and signed a one-year, $16 million extension this offseason.
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