It has been known since Christmas pitcher Masahiro Tanaka will land somewhere by Jan. 24, the deadline for the team that signs him to pay his Japanese team a $20 million posting fee.
Though the right-hander’s free-agency tour has been slow to take shape, it’s beginning to become somewhat clearer.
Nikkan Sports reported Wednesday Tanaka had left Japan for the U.S. and was expected to begin meeting with teams soon. That came a day after CSN Chicago reported Tanaka was expected to meet with the Cubs and White Sox as early as the end of the week.
After a press conference to announce Don Mattingly’s contract extension as Dodgers manager, Los Angeles general manager Ned Colletti told reporters Tanaka and his agent, Casey Close, were in “the feeling-out process.”
“They’re trying to learn a lot about different cities, different markets, different teams, how teams are constructed,” Close said. “It’s a big decision for the player, too.”
As of Wednesday, the Yankees still had not arranged a meeting with Tanaka, according to a source, but baseball officials believe the Yankees remain the front-runners for the 25-year-old, who went 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA last season for the Rakuten Golden Eagles.
Tanaka won’t come cheap. He is expected to get a contract worth in the vicinity of $100 million over six years, plus the $20 million posting fee that goes to Rakuten.
With a thin free-agent starting pitching market that includes Ervin Santana, Ubaldo Jimenez and Matt Garza at the top of the list, Tanaka has emerged as the most sought-after available arm.