MLB

Freak dog injury could motivate new Tanaka suitor

What if there’s another dog in the fight for Masahiro Tanaka, and it belongs to Derek Holland?

Stick with us here: Holland, the Texas Rangers left-hander, suffered a left knee injury this week that will require surgery and keep him out until midseason.

Holland, who pitched to a 3.42 ERA last season in a team-leading 213 innings, said he went down while playing with his pet boxer Wrigley — he’s just asking for bad luck with that name — in one of those freak sports pratfalls.

“I was running around with the dog and took off up the stairs,” Holland told the Dallas Morning News. “He chased me and ran up under me and undercut me, and I slammed my head on the steps.

“It could have been worse. I could have cracked my head open. I was doing a typical guy thing, clowning around with the dog thing, and this happened.”

Derek HollandGetty Images

The Rangers suddenly face a serious void in their starting rotation, just as bidding for free-agent Japanese right-hander Masahiro Tanaka — who is coveted by the Yankees — enters its final two weeks.

Tanaka was reported to have returned to Japan this weekend after meeting in Los Angeles with representatives from an array of big league clubs. The Yankees, as well as the L.A.-based Dodgers and Angels, are regarded as the favorites to land the 25-year-old import, who likely will command a pact in the $100 million range in addition to payment of a $20 million posting fee to his Japanese team.

But the Rangers, who made Shin-Soo Choo their big-ticket offseason acquisition and have Japanese stud Yu Darvish at the top of their rotation, have an affinity for Tanaka, deep pockets and now a pressing need for a front-end starter. Those are potential ingredients for a late-breaking candidate to snare Tanaka away from the Yankees.