Japan’s Masahiro Tanaka Wants to Pitch in the Majors in 2014
Published at(TOKYO) — One of the biggest international pitchers wants to take his talents to America. Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka has made it known he’d like to play for a Major League team in 2014.
“I informed my team that I would like them to allow me to test my abilities in Major League Baseball next season,” Tanaka said at a news conference after meeting with Rakuten Eagles President Yozo Tachibana.
Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball have agreed on a new posting system that will cap the fee at $20 million. Any team who will put up that amount will have the right to negotiate a contract with Tanaka.
In years past, teams have fronted massive amounts just to merely negotiate with international players. The Boston Red Sox paid $51 million to speak with Daisuke Matsuzaka, and the Texas Rangers obtained the negotiating rights to Yu Darvish for $51.7 million.
The 25-year-old Tanaka went 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA with the Golden Eagles this past season. In seven seasons with the Eagles, Tanaka has gone 99-35 with a 2.30 ERA and a .739 winning percentage.
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