Report: Yankees and Masahiro Tanaka extension talks gaining steam

New York Yankees, Masahiro Tanaka

The New York Yankees have yet to make any off-season moves following the World Series’s conclusion, despite most of the rumors and talks being centered around star infielder DJ LeMahieu. He recently rejected the Yankees’ qualifying offer on Wednesday and is now preparing to hit free agency with a full head of steam.

After turning in two impressive campaigns with the Yankees, he will be looking for a long-term deal worth big money, something the Yankees desire to offer DJ but don’t want to overpay on.

According to Dan Federico, the Yankees and starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka have also been in talks besides DJ.

It is no surprise the Yankees and Tanaka are still contemplating a reunion, based simply on the fact that the Japanese-born pitcher has been extremely consistent since joining the Bombers back in 2014. This past season, Tanaka finished with a 3.56 ERA, tallying a 43.3% ground ball rate and 16.4% home run to fly ball ratio (Fangraphs).

If Tanaka rejoins the Yankees, his contract will be far more team-friendly than in years past. Last season, he earned $23 million, far above his market value at this point in his career. The Yankees could offer him around $15 million per season, cutting it by $8 million and making him a more serviceable pitcher when it comes to finances.

In terms of arm velocity and efficiency, he utilized his fastball 24.1% of the time, splitter 24.6%, and slider 37.5%. He used the slider more than any other year in his career but also saw an increase in velocity by 1 mph in his fastball and slider.

Seemingly, Tanaka hasn’t lost a beat with his arm strength. His major issue last season was continuity, after being plunked in the head by a Giancarlo Stanton comebacker, which kept him out for several weeks and broke his consistency leading up to the start of the 2020 regular season.

With a full pre-season of baseball and a decreased yearly salary hit, bringing him back should be a more welcomed idea for the Yankees and general manager Brian Cashman.

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