Tanaka deal is spark for Yanks

MASAHIRO Tanaka can buy a lot of stuff with $155 million. And with the moolah he will be shelling out over the next seven years, Hal Steinbrenner purchased a lot more than a highly acclaimed pitching phenom.

If things turn out the way the organization is projecting, Steinbrenner is going to get a big ding for his dollar.

Before Tanaka throws his first split-finger fastball, there is instant gratification. By enticing him to sign on the dotted line, the Yankees, from a perception standpoint, have further distanced themselves from Alex Rodriguez.

For the foreseeable future, all speculation about A-Rod showing in Tampa for spring training has officially been replaced by the anticipation of seeing Tanaka in pinstripes. Face it, prior to this deal going down, A-Rod was the lingering Yankees story. None of his teammates was capable of knocking him off the back page.

No one in the media was on the edge of their seat, waiting to see Brian McCann, Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran or Brian Roberts.

While those acquisitions may prove to be solid, with the players making significant contributions to the Yankees, none of them has the potential box-office or TV-ratings glitz the much-hyped Tanaka will bring on the nights he pitches. Nor did Ellsbury & Co. enter the Bronx with the kind of controver- sy and star power A-Rod has, which enabled him to help juice ratings.

So, in winter’s deep freeze, Tanaka cancels A-Rod out. The pitcher comes out of Japan to the Bronx at a time when the organization desperately needs him on a variety of fronts. When Tanaka is on the mound at the Stadium, the Yankees can anticipate him boosting their sliding attendance. For the Yankees Entertainment & Sports network, Tanaka — especially early on — will be a ratings draw.

YES’ ratings have been on the decline since 2012. During that season, the Yankees’ ratings average was 3.92, down 8.3% from 2011 and YES’ lowest household rating since 2003. In that particular season, even the full constellation of Yankees stars could not prevent the drop in ratings. Last season, with only Robinson Cano and Mariano Rivera flashing any star power, YES’ ratings plunged even further.

Now, with Tanaka, the Yankees have a potential star to build on, a significant story line transcending the Bronx. One that will be beamed to all corners of the baseball world — including Japan.

The Yankees not only can ex- pect a large contingent of Japanese media to follow the team on a daily basis (like it did with Hideki Matsui), but will be able to monetize the Tanaka connection through sponsorships from Japanese corporations.

Their other offseason signings, and the return of Derek Jeter, has not stopped the Yankees’ infrastructure from aging. Other than the story line about whether the Yankees can make it back to the postseason, there wasn’t much juice for the national media to drink. With Tanaka, the Bombers have a player who will be much discussed on ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight” and in the MLB Network studio.

And don’t for one minute think MLB’s national TV partners (Fox, ESPN, Turner) won’t be looking for ways to feature the Yankees when Tanaka is pitching. The Yankees slipped in the national TV ratings department last season, too. A pitcher such as Tanaka, arriving with so much promise, can rejuvenate the Yankees in that department.

There’s another side to all this (you knew it was coming, right?), another shoe that could drop. Tanaka arrives in the Bronx a wealthy man with sky-high expectations. He will be playing on baseball’s biggest stage, under the brightest spotlight, facing microscopic media scrutiny.

With the kind of media heat Tanaka will generate, with the big contract, there will be no grace period. He must enter as a dominating force.

Rookies don’t get paid $155 million. For Tanaka there will be no learning curve. No benefit of the doubt. If he doesn’t come out of the gate flying, the media, applying familiar lines such as “he can’t handle New York,” will turn on him. And if they have not done so already, they will be second-guessing Steinbrenner’s decision to break the bank for his services.

Tanaka has no built-in media base here, no built-in fan base either. If he doesn’t get off to a fast start, the screaming will start inside the Valley of the Stupid. Is Tanaka more Daisuke Matsuzaka than Yu Darvish?

Even the YES voices will have to question the Yankees’ huge expenditure if Tanaka is not successful from the get-go. Ma and Pa Pinstripe? Nah, they would likely take the Pity Party approach for poor, Y poor Masahiro. eah, that’s the flip side, the path boss scribes will take if Tanaka is a $155 million flop. Yet the media can’t lose here. They’re assured of two compelling veins running on a parallel course.

For Masahiro Tanaka it will be either feast or famine — with the guarantee of plenty of intrigue along the way.

Who needs A-Rod?