The New York Yankees already have been in touch with the agents of Japanese star pitcher Masahiro Tanaka , according to Newsday .
The 30-day period to sign the star 25-year-old right-hander began at 8 a.m. EST Thursday, and New York wasted little time in making its interest known. Clubs have until 5 p.m. on Jan. 24 to attempt to reach an agreement with the ace.
Tanaka is represented by Excel Sports Management, which also represents Yankees SS Derek Jeter.
Tanaka went 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA with the Eagles during the regular season.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers — and possibly the Seattle Mariners — are expected to be the other serious players for Tanaka's services. But look for the Yankees, who lack a clear-cut ace and need to imoprove their starting pitching, to go all out.
He won't come cheap. USA Today's Bob Nightengale reports "officials involved in Tanaka sweepstakes say the Japanese star will cost a minimum of $17 million a year."
And that's after the posting fee.
If Tanaka and a major league team come to terms, that franchise is required to pay his Japanese club, the Rakuten Eagles, a posting fee, now capped at $20 million under a deal reached two weeks ago between MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball. Under the old, no-limit system, the Texas Rangers paid over $50 million for the right to negotiate with Yu Darvish before the 2012 season.