Masahiro Tanaka Deserves a Contract Extension From New York Yankees

The New York Yankees announced that Masahiro Tanaka would miss his next scheduled start with a forearm strain, but for now, it doesn’t sound too serious. The team doesn’t want to take any risks with the 27-year-old, as he’s the key to their rotation success in 2017.

When the New York Yankees signed Masahiro Tanaka to a seven-year, $155 million contract before the 2014 season, the team was hit with a wave of criticism. Tanaka was the best pitcher in Japan at the time, but there was no proof that he would be able to transition successfully to the major leagues. It seemed as if there were only one thing that all scouts could agree on about Tanaka: his devastating splitter.

Tanaka has silenced the critics thus far in his career, and he continues to get better every year. In his three years in the MLB, Tanaka has posted a 3.12 ERA across 490 innings, while striking out 445 batters. Right now, Tanaka is right in the mix for the AL CY Young award, though it’s a very tight race. Tanaka has been the horse for a rotation that has been hit with injuries and bad performances all year, and the clock is ticking on when he’s going to get another large payday.

Included in the contract Tanaka originally received from the Yankees is an opt-out clause that he can trigger after next season. That means that Tanaka can hit the open market once again at age 29, and with the way he’s been pitching and the fact that he’ll be under 30-years-old, teams will be lining up for services.

Prior to this season, Tanaka was viewed by most as a very good No.2 starter, though he never solidified himself as a true “ace”. He was certainly the ace on the Yankee ball club, but you couldn’t say the same thing about him prior to this year if he were on the San Francisco Giants or Los Angeles Dodgers.

More from New York Yankees

Tanaka’s career at one point seemed like it was going to go downhill and go downhill rather quickly. In 2014, it was revealed that he had a partial tear of his UCL, which typically means that Tommy John surgery is coming. However, it was recommended that he rest and rehab the elbow instead of going under the knife. Luckily for Tanaka and the Yankees, he hasn’t had major setbacks since coming back from the injury, other than the forearm issues.

Now, pitching for a young, new-look team, Tanaka has solidified himself as an ace with his dominance. According to baseball-reference, Tanaka is fourth among pitchers in baseball this year in WAR, posting a 5.5 WAR across his 199.2 innings to this point. He’s second in the American League in WAR, trailing just Corey Kluber in the category. Tanaka, despite losing velocity on his fastball after the injury to his elbow, has consistently been able to get batters out, whether it’s via a strikeout or ground ball. He’s just outside the top 20 in ground ball %, sitting at 22

Tanaka, despite losing velocity on his fastball after the injury to his elbow, has consistently been able to get batters out, whether it’s via a strikeout or ground ball. He’s just outside the top 20 in ground ball percentage, sitting at 22^nd, respectively.

It’s no secret that this year’s free agent class is thin, so teams will be anxious to spend on big-time talent after the 2017 season. As long as Tanaka’s elbow continues to hold up, he can see himself cashing out in a big way. If he were to opt out, he would be leaving roughly $22 million on the table through 2020, so he would have to be certain he could top that value.

The Yankees shouldn’t even let it get to that point. If Tanaka were to walk, the starting rotation would be in complete shambles. Like they did with C.C. Sabathia in 2011, the Yankees need to extend Tanaka before he has the chance to opt-out of his contract.

Of course, the team isn’t hoping for the same results from Tanaka as Sabathia post-extension, as Sabathia has been a shade of his former self, to put it lightly. Nonetheless, the Yankees are going to find themselves in a similar situation at the end of next season.

Try and picture the Yankees without Tanaka at the top of their rotation. Michael Pineda would be the ace of the staff, and Sabathia would be the No.2! Luis Severino would likely slide back into the rotation behind Bryan Mitchell and Adam Warren, though he’s shown us this year that his future might be in the bullpen, and the same can be said about the latter.

There hasn’t been any indication since signing with the Yankees that Tanaka has experienced any sort of displeasure. New York happens to be one of the best cities, if not the best city for players coming overseas to play in and advertise themselves. While no numbers have been thrown around yet between the Yankees and Tanaka’s camp, it goes without saying that he will earn at least the same amount annually that he was guaranteed in his previous contract; just perhaps more security with the length of the deal and trade clauses included.

Next: New York Yankees 5 Greatest Catchers Of All-Time

The Yankees own the opportunity to make Tanaka the ace of the team for essentially the rest of his career; it just rides on them now to make the move. On a team in “transition” with so many youngsters, Tanaka will bring veteran presence and experience to the locker room every day. It’s Tanaka or bust, and with few pitching reinforcements internally on the way, the Yankees don’t have much of a choice.

Home/New York Yankees