The Rakuten Eagles held a press conference to introduce their most recent signing, one that is actually an old friend: Masahiro Tanaka. The right-hander pitched there for years before migrating to the United States to sign with the New York Yankees in 2014. After seven brilliant seasons in the Bronx, the Japanese hurler is saying goodbye to pitch home, at least for the next two seasons.
It is quite clear that the Yankees’ decision to bring cheaper alternatives (although not necessarily worse) had to do with Tanaka’s decision to sign in Japan.
“When I became a free agent, honestly, I wanted to sign another contract with (the) Yankees and play there,” Tanaka told reporters in Tokyo, per Jason Coskrey of The Japan Times.