The New York Yankees will be serious players in the bidding for Masahiro Tanaka next month, according to baseball sources.
The Yankees will make Tanaka a priority in the wake of Andy Pettitte retiring, the uncertain future of Hiroki Kuroda and question marks around their young pitching.
"The Yankees have seen him a lot," said a talent evaluator who watched the 24-year-old Japanese right-hander pitch late last month. "Boston, Texas and the Dodgers will be there, too. This guy is very good."
Tanaka, who went 22-0 with a 1.23 ERA in the regular season, isn’t eligible for free agency, so he has to go through the posting process that can’t begin before Nov. 1.