With the recent additions of Jameson Taillon and Corey Kluber, it seemed there was no room for Masahiro Tanaka in the Yankees’ rotation — or budget — and now the right-hander is reportedly in talks to head back to Japan.
A report Monday from Sankei Sports said Tanaka was in negotiations to rejoin the Rakuten Eagles, the team he pitched for before signing with the Yankees.
Earlier this month, Tanaka said on a Japanese radio talk show that the possibility of returning to Japan is “not zero.”
The Yankees this offseason have chosen to invest in re-signing DJ LeMahieu and then add to their rotation from outside the organization.
They traded for Taillon, who is coming off a second Tommy John surgery, and agreed to a deal with Kluber, who was limited to eight starts over the previous two seasons due to a fractured right arm and a shoulder injury, rather than re-sign Tanaka for an eighth season in The Bronx.
Taillon, acquired in a trade with Pittsburgh, will cost just $2.25 million in 2021 and Kluber is set to make $11 million. Tanaka, 32, was believed to be in search of a deal worth at least $15 million.
Though he suffered a partial UCL tear during his first season with the Yankees, he has remained durable throughout the seven-year, $155 million deal. Tanaka was solid in the 2020 COVID-shortened season. Typically excellent in the playoffs, Tanaka had two straight subpar performances in last year’s playoffs and has struggled with his splitter.
As it stands now, the Yankees rotation figures to include Gerrit Cole, Kluber, Taillon and Jordan Montgomery, with Domingo German eligible to return from a domestic violence suspension and Luis Severino due back from Tommy John surgery by midseason.
They also have Deivi Garcia, Clarke Schmidt and Michael King, among other inexperienced pitchers, there to compete for roles, as well as veteran pitchers signed to minor league deals, including Jhoulys Chacin.