The Yankees needed to deal with a report that surfaced in the New York Daily News that the team will not pursue Masahiro Tanaka if he exercises the opt-out clause in his contract following the 2017 season. Both Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman, in separate comments, were quick to respond to what may have been a pre-negotiations strategy by Tanaka’s agent, Casey Close, to lock up a deal now.
Cashman reportedly told SNY-TV:
“There is nothing to hold over our heads because we haven’t negotiated it,” Cashman told The Post. “I have the utmost respect for Casey Close and his office.