Masahiro Tanaka Arrives in New World

Reports out of Japan on Thursday indicated that Masahiro Tanaka had left for the United States. Reports out of the United States on Wednesday said that he had left Japan. He may have endured a crying child or turbulence on the way over the ocean. The food might have been pretty bad and the movie even worse. We don’t know. We do believe he is safely on our shores. We also know that it is still Thursday and there is still a whole lot of Thursday left to go.

Where and when Tanaka arrived has been subject to some debate too. A unnamed National League official told New York Times reporter David Waldstein that Ma-kun was already in Chicago. While it was easy to imagine him enjoying the ride from O’Hare to the hotel on an inner tube towed behind a Snow Cat, he did not actually enter the polar vortex. Instead, Tanaka landed in Los Angeles. It should be nice and sunny in Los Angeles today.

Perhaps he had an uneventful flight, a good night of sleep and is brushing his teeth at this very moment. Maybe a car is coming around before too long to pick him up for a meeting at breakfast. We just don’t know. What we know for certain is that every franchise with half a chance is going to try to impress him and hope against hope that he considers their offer. Somebody is going to sign Masahiro Tanaka. Which team at this point is a matter of conjecture.