Report: Yankees Are Among Final Five Teams In Tanaka Race
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Yankees are among five finalists that have put in bids for Japanese ace Masahiro Tanaka, according to a report on NikkanSports.com.
Along with the Yankees -- the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox and the Arizona Diamondbacks are in the running. All are believed to have made contract offers near six years and $100 million.
Tanaka went 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA for the Rakuten Golden Eagles last season.
The window to negotiate with Tanaka closes at 5 p.m. on Friday.
While some view the Yankees the clear favorite to sign Tanaka, one Yankees' official told the New York Post that Tanaka isn't a "sure-thing."
"Just because he had great success over there doesn't mean he's going to be lights out here," the official said.
The 25-year-old is projected to be a no. 1 starter in the majors. He possesses a mid-90s fastball in the mid-90s and a nasty splitter.
Yankees fans will eagerly stay tuned as the Friday deadline draws closer. The Bombers are looking upgrade their rotation following the retirement of Andy Pettitte and a down year from CC Sabathia.
Once considered an undisputed ace, Sabathia went 14-13 with a bloated 4.78 ERA in 2013.
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