Former New York Yankee and free agent Masahiro Tanaka is on the radar of the Yomiuri Giants in the Central League, a source familiar with the matter said Monday.
Masahiro Tanaka of the Rakuten Eagles pounds his glove after a big play behind him in a Pacific League game against the Orix Buffaloes at Kyocera Dome Osaka on Aug. 3, 2023. (Kyodo)
The 36-year-old right-hander opted to be released in late November by the Rakuten Eagles, his only club in Nippon Professional Baseball, after receiving an offer with a 40 percent or more pay cut off the hefty salary paid by the Pacific League club.
Tanaka is three wins shy of the iconic 200-win milestone in his top-flight pro career, including 78 from his seven seasons with the Yankees from 2014 to 2020.
He is 20-33 since returning to the Eagles in 2021. He threw in just one game for the Eagles this year after a right elbow surgery, taking the loss in a Sept. 28 start against the Orix Buffaloes.
Tanaka joined the Eagles out of high school ahead of the 2007 season and has been the face of the club that only entered NPB in 2005. He went 24-0 in 2013 to lead the Eagles to the PL pennant and a Japan Series championship before leaving for New York, and chose to return to his former club once deciding to leave the Yankees.
Yomiuri is searching for a starter with 35-year-old right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano, who led the CL with 15 wins this season, expected to move to Major League Baseball as a free agent.
Sugano was made available to MLB teams through the posting system in 2020 but failed to sign a contract overseas and returned to the Giants.
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