Masahiro Tanaka And Yankees Agree On Contract

Masahiro Tanaka And Yankees Agree On Contract

Masahiro Tanaka is the newest import for the New York Yankees. The 25-year-old pitcher was noticed by scouters after leading his team with a 24-0 record to the Japanese baseball championship.

The two sides agreed to a seven-year, $155 million contract with an opt out clause that can be activated after the fourth year. The news was confirmed by Tanaka’s agent, Casey Close, who also represents the Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter. According to a statement released by the Yankees, besides the player’s salary, they will also have to pay a $20 million fee to the young player’s former team the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.

Tanaka, who is a natural right-hander had a fantastic season with the Golden Eagles last year, leading them to their first Japanese Championship. The 30 undefeated game streak ended during Game 6 of the Series. This didn’t bring Tanaka’s morale down as he came back in the decisive Game 7 to end the season in a glorious manner.

Andew Jones, who played with Tanaka last season in Japan says that he is a true thoroughbred, being able to control a game and overpower a difficult situation. According to the MLB, Masahiro Tanaka’s contract is the fifth largest for a pitcher in the sports history.

Posted by Andre Monohan on Friday January 24 2014, 2:14 AM EST. Ref: Bloomberg. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0