After months of speculation, Japanese phenom Masahiro Tanaka was posted on Tuesday, allowing Major League teams to bid for his services. The Dodgers and Angels are both expected to make a strong push to sign the 25-year-old right-hander.
Yozo Tachibana, president of the Rakuten Golden Eagles, announced that the club will allow Tanaka to negotiate with major league teams, according to multiple reports out of Japan.
Any team interested must first offer the $20 million posting fee to Rakuten. Tanaka will then have 30 days to negotiate with any of those teams. He is free to sign with whichever team he chooses, not necessarily the team that makes him the highest offer.
Tanaka, who was 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA, is expected to get a deal exceeding $100 million, over five or six years.
The Dodgers are one of the favorites to land him because of their deep pockets and their history with Asian players. The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs are also expected to make offers for Tanaka.
