Masahiro Tanaka Will Sign With New York Yankees

The decision has been made. And this time it’s real. Not just the figment of some over-zealous blogger’s imagination.

Masahiro Tanaka has made his choice. The Japanese superstar will twirl it in America as a member of…

The New York Yankees.

Ken Rosenthal reports that Tanaka will sign with the Pinstripers for seven years, $155 million. A key point: the deal will include an opt out after year four.

The final days of the Tanaka Watch were a whirlwind of rumors. The Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers were considered front runners at various points, with the White Sox and Astros also getting mixed in there.

But Tanaka-to-the-Yankees always felt like an inevitability. The  Yankees have a dire need for starting pitching. They have tons of money. They never get outbid when they really want someone.

They really wanted/needed Tanaka. Now they have him.

Tanaka gets not only big money from New York, he also gets the chance to pitch for a contender. And he is in a city with a large Japanese population as he reportedly wished.

Hopefully this union between Yankees and Japanese star pitcher will end better than the Hideku Irabu relationship.

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