ESPN has reported that hotshot Japanese free agent Masahiro Tanaka is ready to meet with teams, and a slew of free-wheeling clubs are interested in his services.
The New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, and Chicago Cubs are believed to be hottest on his trail, but the Los Angeles Dodgers may be willing to crack open their wallets yet again, despite already employing the reigning National League Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw, and Zack Greinke.
"I talked to Casey [Close, Tanaka's agent] as soon as they announced he was going to be posted and as soon as they announced Casey would represent him," Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said. "Obviously, Casey and I go back quite a while. They're in a feeling-out process. They're trying to learn about different cities, different teams, different markets, how teams are constructed going forward. You know, it's a big decision for the player, too, so we've had those types of conversations and we'll continue to see where it goes."
A big-money contract for Tanaka isn't out of the question, since L.A. has shown no fear of taking on big deals, but Kershaw is due to become the highest-paid pitcher in MLB history after the 2014 season. They also will be contending with a desperate Yankees club, in need of frontline pitching.
Tanaka was 24-0 in Japan last year for the Rakuten Golden Eagles, and posted a 1.27 ERA with 183 strikeouts. The Yankees watched their own ace CC Sabathia have one of his worst seasons in the big leagues, as they missed the postseason for the first time since 2008.
If the Yankees do miss out on Tanaka though, they may be forced to trade last year's starting center fielder Brett Gardner for pitching help. Sources say the Yankees aren't enamored with the free agent option, with Ubaldo Jimenez being the most likely to don pinstripes in 2014.
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