Masahiro Tanaka is the hottest free agent right now in Major League Baseball and more than 10 teams are interested in the Japanese ace, according to ESPN.Tanaka and his agent, Casey Clove, have deadline on Jan. 24 at 5 p.m. ET to have a contract completed with a MLB team. They are scheduled to be meeting with several teams for the next couple of days.
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The right-hander went 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA in the Japanese League last season and is considered by many to be a top-of-the-rotation starter. The major league team that signs Tanaka, 25, will owe a $20 million posting fee to the Rakuten Golden Eagles.
One official estimated that more than one-third of MLB teams are interested in Tanaka, who will likely garner a contract in the six-year, $100 million range. Among the interested teams are the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, Oakland Athletics and Houston Astros.
There have been reports that Tanaka will initially meet with the Cubs and White Sox.
Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said Wednesday that Tanaka is trying to educate himself about what it would be like to play in each of the cities.
This is going to be interesting.
