SANTA MONICA – The offseason has become a lot simpler for the New York Yankees, as pitcher Masahiro Tanaka announced that he will be sticking with the team and riding out his seven year $155 million contract that he signed in 2014.
His contract gave him the option to opt out after his fourth season, but almost 24 hours ahead of his deadline, he announced that he wouldn’t be going anywhere.
“I have decided to stay with the Yankees for the next three seasons. It was a simple decision for me as I have truly enjoyed the past four years playing for this organization and for the wonderful fans of New York,” Tanaka released in a statement on Friday Nov. 3.
For the next three seasons the Yankees will pay Tanaka $67 million, which many expected would be the best he could get at this point in his career, considering his injury history and an slow regular season, reports The New York Post.
During his debut season in the major league, Tanaka suffered from a small tear in the right ulnar collateral ligament that caused him to miss a couple months. After advice from doctors, he decided to rehab it rather than getting the Tommy John surgery. This seemed to work out in his favor, as the elbow has not flared up since.
Tanaka began the season as the Yankees starting pitcher, but eventually fell out of the starting lineup. He ended the season 13-12 with a 4.74 ERA. Despite a dull regular season, Tanaka was able to bounce back with an impressive run in the postseason. He went 2-1 with a 0.90 ERA in his three postseason starts.
Nevertheless, Tanaka is looking forward to continuing his career with the Yankees for the next three seasons.
“I’m excited to continue to be a part of this team, and I’m committed to our goal of bringing a World Series Championship back to the Steinbrenner family, the Yankees organization, and the great fans of New York,” Tanaka said.
Video courtesy of YouTube and picture courtesy of Google Images.
