IT’S A MADD MADD WORLD. . .

Upon arriving in the U.S. last week, Masahiro Tanaka anaka underwent a physical at the renowned Kerlan/Jobe clinic in L.A. and apparently everything came up clean. Nevertheless, there are two factors that are already slimming down the field of suitors for him: His workload in Japan (1,315 innings, including 315 in his first two seasons with the Rakuten Eagles at ages 18-19), and the ultimate price that is now expected to well exceed $100 million. As Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci noted, the last pitcher in the major leagues to have logged as many as 1,315 innings at age 28 was hard-throwing Frank Tanana from 1973-78 and the next year he hurt his arm, forcing him to reinvent himself as a finesse pitcher. Said one official from a club that met with Tanaka: “The (Japan) workload is a red flag, no doubt, and what you’ve really got to be concerned about with pitchers is the number of years. No matter that he’s still not 30, longterm contracts for pitchers almost never work out. In the end it’s going to be too much money for us and too much of a risk.”

Speaking of the Dodgers, the freeways around L.A. will apparently be a safer place next season. Yasiel Puig has taken himself off the road. After being clocked at 97 mph in a 50 mph zone in Tennessee in April and then again, driving at 110 mph in a 70 mph zone in Florida last month, Puig, the Dodgers’ precocious rookie slugger who epitomized the term “reckless abandon” on and off the field last year, announced that, for the time being, his cousin will be driving him around. Vernon, we hardly knew ye. The Yankees designated Vernon Wells for assignment Friday, and while he didn’t do a whole lot in the second half after a torrid first 40 games for them (10 homers, .895 OPS in that stretch), he was a constant positive presence in the clubhouse, and for that he’ll be missed. One of the good guys.