TANAKA OPTS IN!
Hiro here for long haul, signs on in Bx. till 2020
In the end, Masahiro Tanaka chose to stay in pinstripes.
Tanaka elected against opting out of the final three years and $67 million remaining on his contract, keeping him with the Yankees through 2020.
“I have decided to stay with the Yankees for the next three seasons,” Tanaka said Friday night in a statement issued by the team. “It was a simple decision for me as I have truly enjoyed the past four years playing for this organization and for the wonderful fans of New York.
“I’m excited to continue to be a part of this team, and I’m committed to our goal of bringing a World Series Championship back to the Steinbrenner family, the Yankees organization and the great fans of New York.”
The 2018 rotation now figures to include Tanaka, Luis Severino, Sonny Gray and Jordan Montgomery. CC Sabathia, now a free agent, could be a candidate to be brought back on a one-year deal, while the Bombers will also pursue Japanese twoway star Shohei Otani, assuming he’s eligible to come to the majors, which remains up in the air.
There is also depth, as the Yankees could elect to have middle reliever Chad Green come to spring training as a starter, while youngsters Justus Sheffield, Chance Adams and Albert Abreu are all knocking on the door in the minors.
Tanaka, who turned 29 on Wednesday, went 13-12 with a 4.74 ERA and a career-high 35 homers allowed during the regular season. But he was stellar during the postseason, posting a 0.90 ERA in three starts — including a 1.38 ERA in two starts vs. the eventual World Series-champion Astros in the ALCS.
He has, however, been pitching with a partial tear of his UCL since 2014, though he’s managed to make 61 starts the last two seasons. For what it’s worth, Adam Wainwright was able to pitch for six years with a partial tear before needing Tommy John surgery.
As the News first reported, the Bombers had gone into the 2017 campaign prepared to walk away if Tanaka opted out in search of a bigger deal in respect to average annual value and term given his injury history, and with Hal Steinbrenner intent on getting his club under the $197 million luxury-tax threshold by 2018.
But the Bombers won’t have to worry about the possibility of having to replace him.
By all accounts, Tanaka has been comfortable living and working in New York. And the Yankees could have something special brewing, with 20-somethings like Severino, Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez and Greg Bird forming a talented homegrown core.
Tanaka inked a sevenyear, $155 million deal with the Yankees in 2014. He posted a 3.12 ERA in 75 starts from 2014-16.
Yu Darvish and Jake Arrieta headline what is a largely mediocre free-agent pitching market.
The Bombers will now need to find a replacement for Joe Girardi, with the team still in the early stages of its managerial search process. Brian Cashman’s new contract to remain GM has not been made official but is considered a formality at this point.