Yankees, Masahiro Tanaka agree to seven-year, $155 million deal

The Yankees and Japanese starter Masahiro Tanaka have united on a seven-year, $155 million deal, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com has confirmed.

The deal conjointly includes AN opt-out clause once the fourth year.Tanaka, 25, was 24-0 with a one.27 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 183 strikeouts in 212 innings last season for the Rakuten Golden Eagles. In his seven-year career in Japan ball, Tanaka was 99-35 with a two.30 ERA and one.11 WHIP. As I've found out before, he has the most effective journal of any pitcher returning to the U.S. from NPB.

Tanaka thrives with 3 and pitches, per reconnaissance reports. He incorporates a smoke that works up to the mid-90s, a devastating splitter that sits within the 85-90 vary and a slider that sits within the low-80s.As a part of the new posting system, the Yankees conjointly owe the Golden Eagles a $20 million posting fee. Not solely that, however the Yankees have currently surpassed the $189 million luxury tax threshold, so that they were awfully serious concerning landing Tanaka.Tanaka will currently slot behind CC Sabathia within the Yankees' rotation and previous the likes of Hiroki Kuroda and Ivan star. The fifth starter can come back from the archangel Pineda, Vidal Nuno, David Phelps cluster. This move positively offers the Yankees AN admirable rotation that had appeared suspect on the rear finish.

The Yankees won out over the likes of the Dodgers, Cubs, White Sox and Diamondbacks. For those groups to varied degrees, it's back to the starting stage. the highest free agent starters left on the market square measure Matt Garza, Ubaldo Jimenez and Ervin Santana, though draft choose compensation is tied to the latter 2 and Garza has had recent injury woes.