Almost exactly six years ago to the day (Jan. 22, 2014), the Yankees announced that they had signed coveted ace Masahiro Tanaka to a seven-year, $155 million deal. The right-handed workhorse from Japan, before ever throwing a pitch in the major leagues, had inked the second-largest free agent contract ever at the time by a pitcher, trailing only teammate CC Sabathia.
Fast forward to today, and Tanaka is getting set to begin the final season of that seven-year mega-deal. Through the years in pinstripes, Tanaka has been an All-Star, a prolific postseason performer and the center of a massive injury scare.