Ex-Yankees Fan Favorite Cut by Team, Hits Free Agency

Getty Yankees fan favorite Masahiro Tanaka

For Yankees fans, there is no reminder needed that the years from 2009, the last time the Yankees won a championship, to 2024, their next World Series appearance, were a tumultuous time. It matched the longest stretch without a Fall Classic appearance in a century, and was marred by some very down years and some postseason heartbreak.

One of the players who was in the midst of it all was a guy who pretty much took the ball whenever he was asked and gobbled up innings as a starter, a guy who passed on an opportunity to get preemptive surgery on a balky elbow because it would be a dishonorable thing to do. One who was beloved by fans for his quiet professionalism–in New York?!–and by teammates for his off-field demeanor.

That would be, of course, Masahiro Tanaka, the Japanese star who signed a $155 million contract to join the Yankees before the 2014 season and went on to go 78-46 with a 3.74 ERA in the seven years that followed.

His gutsy performance against Cleveland in the 2017 ALDS, which rescued that postseason for the Yankees, “deepened Tanaka’s already solid standing as a Yankees fan favorite,” Newsday wrote this year.

Yankees’ Masahiro Tanaka Returned to Japan

Alas, Tanaka rode into New York on a wave of hype, pitched much of his career despite the elbow injury, and rode out when his contract was up after the Covid-19 shortened 2020 season. His stuff had waned, and the Yankees were ready to move on. Tanaka had other offers to remain in MLB, but decided to return to Japan and his old team, Rakuten, for whom he’d gone 24-0 in 2013.

But the elbow problem stayed with him and Tanaka’s conditioning was an issue. He’s gone 20-35 in four years back with Rakuten, and was 0-3 with just six starts in 2024.

This week, Rakuten announced it was cutting ties with Tanaka.

In a statement, via the Japan Times, the team noted, “as the result of discussions with the player” Tanaka would not be included on the team’s list of players eligible for contracts next season.”

And Tanaka said on his YouTube channel, “I will not be signing a contract with the Rakuten Eagles for next year. I have decided to look for a new team.”

Don’t expect to see Tanaka back in MLB, of course. But here’s hoping he gets healthy for one last run in Japan.

Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney