Veteran right-hander Masahiro Tanaka has reached an agreement with the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball, per a report from Yahoo Japan (h/t to Yakyu Cosmopolitan). The terms of the deal are not yet clear, but it appears he’ll be joining a new NPB team for the first time in his lengthy career.
Tanaka, 36, has enjoyed a long and successful career between NPB and MLB. He made his debut with the Rakuten Golden Eagles at the age of 18 back in 2007, and after seven dominant seasons in NPB was posted for MLB clubs prior to the 2014 season. The right-hander instantly became one of the most sought-after players on the free agent market before eventually signing with the Yankees on a seven-year, $155MM deal. In 20 starts with New York during his first season in the majors, Tanaka posted an excellent 2.77 ERA (138 ERA+) with a 3.04 FIP en route to an All-Star appearance and a fifth-place finish in AL Rookie of the Year voting.
Impressive as that debut season in the big leagues was, Tanaka eventually settled in as more of a solid mid-rotation arm with the Yankees than as a true ace. In his seven seasons with the club, the right-hander pitched to a 3.74 ERA (114 ERA+) with a 3.91 FIP in 1054 1/3 innings as a big leaguer. He made his second and final MLB All-Star appearance in 2019, and pitched to a solid 3.33 ERA in 54 postseason innings for the Yankees during his tenure with the club. His final year with the Yankees was abbreviated due to the 60-game pandemic-shortened campaign that took place in 2020, but Tanaka look solid in ten starts with a 3.56 ERA in 48 innings of work that stood as his best mark since 2016.
When he hit the free agent market ahead of his age-32 season, Tanaka was among the most well-regarded pitchers in the class. MLBTR ranked Tanaka as the #10 free agent in the class on that year’s edition of our Top 50 MLB Free Agents list, and the righty appeared to be a lock to remain in the majors as a quality mid-rotation veteran. As free agency played out, however, the Yankees turned their attention to retaining second baseman DJ LeMahieu. While Tanaka garnered at least some interest from other MLB clubs, he ultimately headed back home to Japan to pitch for Rakuten once again. At the time, Tanaka noted that his preference if he returned to Japan was a return to the Golden Eagles, though he also suggested he would be open to a deal with the Yomiuri Giants.
As it happens, it now appears he’ll be playing for the Giants after all, albeit only after a four-year pit stop with his original team. Tanaka’s second stint with Rakuten did not go quite as well as his first. He pitched to a 3.73 ERA in 463 innings of work in Pacific League play over the past four seasons, though he struck out just 17.5% of opponents in that time. That’s a far cry from the 27.8% clip he struck out opponents at for the Golden Eagles back in 2011, and it’s even several steps back from the career 23.1% strikeout rate that Tanaka posted during his seven seasons in the majors.
Despite those declining numbers, it appears that Yomiuri is willing to take a chance on the right-hander as their own longtime veteran, Tomoyuki Sugano, explores a possible jump to the major leagues. Tanaka made just one start for Rakuten’s Pacific League team in 2024, but he’s surely hoping to make more than that next season with his new club. The right-hander has gathered 197 career wins between NPB and MLB play to this point in his career, leaving him just three wins shy of a major milestone.
Come back, Tanaka!
I just grimaced being reminded how the Yankees didn’t bring back Tanaka at the time because they needed to pay for LeMahieu.
*SWIGS OLDE ENGLISH 800 40oz and stares at the ground in disgust*
Pour one out for the homies, man….. ugh
God lemahieu did absolutely nothing after that contract
It’s hard to think he was one of the best hitters on the planet from 2019-2020
I thought it has something to do with some rude comments sometime directed towards him, his wife and baby during the Asian hate being directed to them because of covid?
Should be better than Rondón
*RODON. Baseball Reference is your friend. Use it.
No wonder they’re starting pitching sprung a leak. They signed Rondon by mistake
Wait now which one the thinker, and which one kaiju that terrorized Tokyo bay?
Yankees signed rendon? As in Anthony rendon
He would’ve been a classic Yankees move then and now for no reason
Blue, if we are going for perfection, his name is Rodón.
OK
Bring Betances back, too. 2014, good year for those 2.
Chad Curtis
what a poor article clip. They failed to mention one significant aspect of his career. He got injured and almost needed surgery,during his first season, which affected him the rest of the way. But the trooper that he is, despite never having surgery on the tear,, he continued to pitch at an excellent level. But didn’t have the stuff that he had before the tear.
Are u familiar with protocols regarding UCL tears/repairs, im not so much myself and apparently had a partial tear in my right rotator cuff but was able to avoid surgery after about ten months of no throwing and recovering through prayer as well as physical therapy from there, but if the UCL is partially torn will it repair/be restored with proper prayer, rest/recovery, nutrition and proper physical therapy/weight training? Or does it stay partially torn, (potentially strengthening with a lil off-season rest to prevent further injury which in Tanakas case seemed to be avoided) until it does potentially completely fail at which point it’s an operation, and is the brace procedure used in conjunction with a partial tear? Please don’t feel obligated to respond, just an idiot asking too long of a convoluted question when I could prob ask my physical therapist/do a google search ha
Cheesehead: I’m sure doctors and physical therapists emphasize the rest, therapy, and nutrition. The prayer, not so much.
Unless you’re a Christian Scientist, medical treatment and therapy is always the way to go.
Tanaka was very good for the Yankees, but never quite as dominant once he was diagnosed with the partial UCL tear midway through his first season. Lost a couple ticks in velocity. The tear is still there. I understand why every pitcher wants to avoid TJS, and he didn’t need it, but he might been an even better pitcher if the elbow just gave away at some point and he had the repair, even now, but at 36 he’d likely just retire.
🙂 Man did I almost read that wrong. Sorry G’s
It’s remarkable that he hasn’t played in MLB since 2020 yet he only just turned 36. Thought he would have been 40 by now.
Remember when NYY consistently signed top Japanese talent?
@dogmeat
Remember when chilis would fill your frosty mug w miller lite to
The brim?
Pepperidge Farm remembers…
Remember when Burger King had those delicious tenders before they decided to serve people “nuggets” that taste like deer ankles?
You mean like hideki irabu and kei igawa?
And Godzilla, 2009 WS MVP.
Remember when airplane pilots would reminisce about Gladiator movies
“‘Remember when’ is the lowest form of conversation.”
– Tony Soprano
Remember when Bobby Boucher came back at halftime to help the mud dogs win the bourbon bowl?
Foosball is the devil
#19
Class act, wore the pinstripes in the way a true Yankee is meant to.
His hard work, reliability, and commitment to excellence earned him well deserved respect from teammates and opponents alike.
Today’s Major League players should strive to be looked at in the way Tanaka is now still viewed years after leaving MLB.
Oh yeah, one more thing he was a pretty damn good pitcher too.
Tanaka is a stud, Yankees dropped the ball with him.
He’s the only player right now I can think of that prefers to play at a lower league despite having enough talent to play in the bigs
I guess there’s Hyun Jin ryu too but he fell off
Yasiel puig could’ve probably still been good but he was exiled (for good reason)
Bartolo Colón is back
@Franki, who is bringing Big Sexy back? Timba!!!
Older Tanaka is better than anything the Yankees currently have.which includes overrated and overpaid Fried and ‘too good to cover first base in the World Series’ Cole.
you forgot ” I’m sorry 760 million just isn’t enough” ” are you kidding I’m not paying for a Luxury Box” ” I want to win, as long as I get everything I want ” soto
I know he’s not a pitcher but I figured what the heck
Yankees are yesterdays news along with their tradition, aura, and mystique
Disagree McNasty, though I wish the playing field was more level, flags fly forever.
Saying Tanaka is better than Fried is wild
He wasn’t appreciated enough just like Kuroda.
I forgot about Kuroda, he was solid too
i swear kuroda must have the lowest career run support in history the yankees never scored for him
I had no idea he was in mlb until covid. I saw this article thinking he had been gone for ages
He and Kuroda were great Yankees. In the season Matt Harvey had (2013?) when he was electric Kuroda out dueled him and was taken out of the game for Mariano with a 1-0 lead, and Mo blew it. But he was masterful. One of the best Yankee efforts in a forgetful bad season.
What an excellent career he has had! Consistent excellence for an extended period.
Rare is the day I read a post about an ex-Yank and it’s all positive reviews. People seemed to like him there a lot.
I remember Tanaka had an outing which he was tattooed for 11 or 12 earned runs in the first inning. Boone wanted to pull him but he insisted on staying in to soak up some innings for the bullpen. A majority of starting pitchers would’ve gladly hit the showers. The dude was a true pro.
Good dude, good stuff. Hope to see him back as an MLB ambassador
Just hoping Corbin Burnes doesn’t get confused and sign with the wrong Giants.
first 14 mlb starts before the partial ucl tear
11-1
1.99 era
9+ k/9
miss you masa!
Munenori Kawasaki….where are you?….Toronto could use your experience….
Masa! He always delivered in big games/in the playoffs!
another crucial aspect of his career, that was left out by the article as well as the tear that he had during the first season of his Yankees career that he pitched with the entire tenure
Yomiuri Giants lost in the finals of the Pacific League to the eventual Nippon champs, so it’s a good team
They are considered the national team over there. Kind pf equivalent to the Yankees here.
Tanaka’s last year in Japan before joining the Yankees….24-0 1.27!
I think he was used to close their championship winning game that last year as well.
He should have had TJ.
Would have had a better career.
Swing by the good ol USA for a few years, make 150M then back home to Japan.
Buy an island and retire after a nice gig with the hometown club. Way to go !
Love me some Yomiuri Giants news on MLBTR! Go Giants!
I miss Tanaka. Dude was a warrior and a workhorse. Even with a partially torn ucl, the dude still battled. You trusted him in big spots like almost no one else.
Went 24-0 in Japan one year!
Sooo maybe he spent all his money and has to continue playing? Thought that was an MLB thing…
My biggest regret is not playing in Jspan after I was released the last time. But I had two bad knees, a new wife, and a job offer from my last team.
Still, I think it would have been a great experience. My friend that was born there said they would have loved me. Not sure how to take that!
I think Tanaka is done playing in MLB. Probably wants to stay in his homeland.
So would I have ever heard about you? ^^^^ reds…. I know there are ex players that visit and comment on this site.
Probably not. I bounced around the minors as a catcher in the late 80s early 90s and never got more than a cup of coffee at triple A.
“Impressive as that debut season in the big leagues was” is NOT PROPER ENGLISH. You can’t just leave “as” out at the start of the sentence because you feel like it. It’s not optional, and neither is proper grammar.