The Yankees might have to wait another year to chase Masahiro Tanaka.
According to a person with knowledge of the Rakuten Golden Eagles’ plans for the coveted right-hander, the earliest Tanaka will be posted is following the 2014 season, which would be his eighth in Nippon Professional Baseball. Players in Japan usually aren’t eligible for free agency until after their ninth year.
Because of the new posting process, Rakuten’s ownership will likely hold onto Japan’s best pitcher for another year. Under the old process, a team could bid unlimited dollars to secure the negotiating rights to a posted Japanese player.
Now, the process has been capped at $20 million. If there are multiple teams tied for the highest bid, the player can negotiate with all of them.
Under the former rules, the Rangers paid $51.7 million in posting fees for Yu Darvish and then gave the electric right-hander a six-year deal for $56 million.
Tanaka went 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA for Rakuten in the regular season in 2013, and if he hits the free-agent market would easily be the premier pitcher and somebody the Yankees would be very interested in.