Coming to America: Masahiro Tanaka’s Fate in the Majors to be Decided by Month's End

By: Francisco Romero

Tucson, AZ – Japanese pitching sensation Masahiro Tanka and a major league baseball team have until January 24 to reach an agreement.  It was the deadline given by Major League Baseball’s (MLB) according to the new compliance with Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). 

If Tanaka and a major league team come to terms, that franchise is required to pay the Rakuten Golden Eagles, Tanka’s current Japanese team, a posting fee capped at $20 million.  

If the posted NPB player fails to reach an agreement with a Major League Club, the release fee is not owed, the NPB player remains under reserve to his NPB Club, and the player may not be posted again until the following November 1st.  

Some experts have regarded Tanaka, as the best free agent pitcher currently in the market.  The 25 year old finished last season with a record of 24-0 during the regular season and a 1.27 ERA in 212 innings.  

Amongst the teams expected to show an interest in signing Tanaka are the Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, the Cleveland Indians and the Seattle Mariners.  All 30 teams have the right to post the fee and start negotiations with Tanaka.  

A total of 43 Japanese born players have played in the majors.  In the last 25 years players such as Ichiro Suzuki, Hideo Nomo, Kazuo Matsui, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Yu Darvish have made a great impact on the game.  

Tanaka was a member of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, becoming the youngest Japanese baseball player to play in the Olympics as a professional.  He saw action against Cuba, during the Olympics, as a relief pitcher.  He was also a member of the 2009 World Baseball Classic team.