A reunion between the New York Yankees and Masahiro Tanaka appears unlikely.
Despite a starting rotation of Gerrit Cole and numerous question marks heading into the 2021 season, the New York Yankees are reportedly showing zero interest in bringing veteran starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka back to the Bronx.
The two seemed like a logical offseason fit, with the New York Yankees in need of multiple starting rotation options and very few quality names on the market worthy of slotting into a rotation behind Cole at Yankee Stadium.
According to SNY Network’s Andy Martino, the Yankees have expressed no interest in reuniting with Tanaka, instead focusing much of their efforts on bringing back second baseman DJ LeMahieu.
The 32-year-old infielder is coming off a scorching hot 2020 campaign, hitting .364 with a .421 OBP, 10 home runs and a 177 wRC+ in 50 games for the Yankees and was a critical piece to a New York Yankees lineup that will enter 2021 healthy and ready to take on AL East pitching staffs with full force again.
With multiple teams aggressively pursuing LeMahieu, Martino is reporting that this could be the lone big-ticket pickup for New York this winter, if they are able to land him, citing hesitation in major spending due to the current financial state of the game.
Apparently, someone never told the Kansas City Royals about these financial struggles.
But it’s an interesting route to take for the New York Yankees. High-upside options like Deivi Garcia and Clarke Schmidt could be viable options for the Yankees, and let’s not forget about the hopeful return of Luis Severino at some point later in the summer, but adding a veteran starter or two should be a priority for the Yankees if they want to compete for an AL East title.
Tanaka is projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to receive a three-year deal worth just south of $40 million, a contract that won’t break the bank for teams looking to upgrade their rotation with a reliable mid-rotation arm.
In his seven seasons with the Yankees, Tanaka recorded a 78-46 record with a 3.74 ERA and 991 strikeouts across more than 1,054 innings and at 32 years of age, can add some much-needed stability to a rotation in need.
Citing financial reasons for not going after Tanaka seem a bit ridiculous, but if the Yankees don’t want to pursue one of the top veteran arms on the market, plenty of other teams will, maybe even a division rival or two.
The New York Yankees could ultimately turnaround and engage in talks with Masahiro Tanaka, but with the market for starting pitchers hot right now, they may end up losing that opportunity.