The New York Yankees could see the end of some of their one-year players as the regular season could be set back beyond 2020.
Many uncertainties lie ahead for baseball, and the start of the regular season could be pushed by too far for the league to enjoy a reasonable season. Initially, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred put an eight-week stoppage on operations with the expectation that the global pandemic would pass over. However, these seem to be heading in a different direction as America deals with the epidemic.
Only 8-10 players remain in Tampa after Florida considered shutting down the state entirely. Most players and coaches have departed back to their families for the time being, but one player has stuck around, his name is Masahiro Tanaka.
Tanaka hasn’t returned to Japan due to the flying restrictions, and his 2020 season could potentially be his last in Pinstripes. As Spring Training continues to look like a distant memory, it’s becoming possible that Tanaka could miss the entire year due to the holdout, and with only one year left on his contract, Yankees’ fans might have seen the last of the pitcher.
The New York Yankees have enjoyed consistency from Tanaka:
In 2019, Tanaka struggled at times, but he earned an All-Star appearance based on his success during the first half of the season. The second half wasn’t as productive, as he finished with a 4.45 ERA and 28 homers allowed, the second-most in his career.
However, Tanaka has always been a talented postseason pitcher, finishing the ALDS with a 1.80 ERa over 6.0 innings and a 2.45 ERA over 11.0 innings in the ALCS. Having him in that setting in 2020 would prove to be essential, especially with Luis Severino set to miss the entire campaign.
Of course, there’s a good chance the season will go on, but dealing with the severity of Covid-19 is a priority for the world and country. Hopefully, things will get better, and Tanaka will be able to feature in Pinstripes this year.