The Yankees have already picked Masahiro Tanaka as their Opening Day starter

Even before their first spring training game, the Yankees know their Opening Day starter

On Tuesday, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said he expects right-hander Masahiro Tanaka to be the team's Opening Day starter for 2017 (source: Joel Sherman on Twitter). This would be Tanaka's third consecutive Opening Day start for New York.

Tanaka, 28, is coming off a 2016 season in which he pitched to a 3.07 ERA and 4.58 K/BB ratio in 199 2/3 innings for the Yanks. For his efforts, he finished seventh in the AL Cy Young balloting. Since coming to the U.S. major leagues from Japan, Tanaka has registered a highly impressive ERA+ of 132 across three seasons. On the downside, he's dealt with multiple arm problems along the way.

Speaking of Opening Day, the Yankees will visit the Rays on April 2. Girardi's club last season went 84-78 and finished in fourth place in the tough American League East. In 2017, the Yankees will be going for their 25th consecutive winning season.