MLB

Jeter pumped up about Tanaka signing: ‘It’s huge’

Just like the rest of his Yankees teammates, Derek Jeter has yet to see Masahiro Tanaka on a major league mound, but that didn’t stop him from raving about the team’s latest signing.

“It’s huge, man,” Jeter told the AP at the Yankees minor league complex in Tampa. “The game is pitching. If you have great pitching, you always have an opportunity to win.”

The Yankees signed the Japanese right-hander to a seven-year, $155 million deal Wednesday, the latest big-ticket acquisition during a busy offseason. Jeter believes Tanaka will be able to make a substantial impact in his debut season.

“From everything I’ve heard, he’s going to be quite an addition to our team,” Jeter said.

Jeter and Tanaka share an agent in Casey Close. When asked last week whether he had used that connection to help recruit Tanaka, Jeter joked his Japanese wasn’t that good. On Friday, he offered the same reason for not reaching out to the 25-year-old Tanaka.

The deal for Tanaka included a $20 million posting fee to his former team, Rakuten Golden Eagles, bringing the Yankees’ combined investments this offseason to over $500 million. While some have been surprised by the amount of money the team has spent — especially after previously pledging financial discipline — Jeter has been around long enough to understand how the Yankees operate.

“Our team has been known to make financial commitments to a lot of people throughout the course of the year,” Jeter said. “Anytime you have ownership that’s willing to spend money and trying to do whatever they can to make the team better, it feels good for us as players.”

The 39-year-old has been working out on the field since Monday, fielding grounders on the grass and hitting in the cage after playing in only 17 games a year ago because of leg injuries stemming from his twice-broken ankle. He’s reported no setbacks.


Another Yankees minor leaguer has had trouble with the law in Tampa.

Omar Luis, a 21-year-old from Cuba whom the Yankees signed for $4 million, was arrested early Friday for driving under the influence after police witnessed him driving his 2014 Mercedes the wrong way on a one-way street.

According to Tampa police, it took two cruisers to get Rodriguez to pull over at 3:15 a.m. He registered a .102 blood-alcohol level, above the Florida legal limit of .08.

Previously, Michael Pineda and Mason Williams were arrested for driving while impaired in Tampa.