The Yankees — and the rest of baseball — should begin to get some clarity on what it will take to sign Masahiro Tanaka this week.
So far, the right-hander’s journey to the majors has been fairly difficult to decipher since there was uncertainty whether he actually would be posted by his Japanese team and unlike most Japanese imports, he’s only 25.
“There’s really nothing to go on,” a talent evaluator said. “He’s younger than the other pitchers who have come over, and we have to find out how much he’s looking for and what he wants from a team.”
Those who do decide to negotiate with Tanaka will be dealing with other unknowns.
Some believe the comparisons to Yu Darvish are irrelevant because of how much harder the Texas star throws than Tanaka and their difference in size.
Others believe teams could be somewhat scared off by the workload Tanaka has had, pitching in the Japanese equivalent of the majors since he was 18.
In seven seasons, he has thrown over 1,300 innings and some executives are wary of how long Tanaka will maintain his stuff, despite his youth.
Still, a fierce bidding war is expected, with deep-pocketed teams like the Dodgers, Cubs and perhaps the Diamondbacks and Mariners all seen as potential threats to the Yankees’ pursuit.
Many observers believe Tanaka will receive a deal worth in the neighborhood of six years and $100 million, along with an additional $20 million to Rakuten for the posting fee.
That’s a significantly larger investment than any of the current starting pitchers on the market will command, as free agents like Ubaldo Jimenez, Ervin Santana, Matt Garza and Bronson Arroyo wait for teams to move.
Despite a terrific split-finger fastball and his success last season, when he went 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA for Rakuten, Tanaka may not be more than a No. 2 or even a No. 3 starter in the majors.
The Yankees have plenty of experience dealing with Tanaka’s agent, Casey Close, since he also represents Derek Jeter.