The New York Yankees and Masahiro Tanaka each have a decision to make in the coming months. For Tanaka, it’s whether to opt out of what remains on his contract: three years and $67 million. For the Yankees, it’s whether to initiate extension talks before winter hits.
Those appear to be the only two choices on the table since, according to Mike Mazzeo of the New York Daily News, the Yankees don’t appear likely to pursue Tanaka if he exercises his opt-out clause. Part of the reason? His arm’s health. Per Mazzeo:
The Yankees are already concerned that Tanaka, who they certainly like, may not make it through the rest of his seven-year, $155 million contract, which he signed back in 2014. He’s still pitching with a partial tear of his UCL that could potentially blow at any second.
Mazzeo also noted the Yankees are displeased with agent Casey Close dangling the opt-out clause over their heads. It’s unclear why they expected differently -- it’s the job of the player’s agent to act in his client’s best interest -- or why Close’s approach annoys them when they re-signed Alex Rodriguez back in 2007 after he announced his intent to opt out during the World Series.
Nonetheless, if the Yankees do abstain from re-signing Tanaka -- and, in all likelihood, this is just posturing -- they’d be losing one of the better starting pitchers in the game. For his career, he’s managed a 127 ERA+ and 5.21 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 76 starts.
