Report: Arizona Diamondbacks 1 of 5 teams left in Masahiro Tanaka sweepstakes
Jan 22, 2014, 3:52 AM | Updated: 3:35 pm
The Arizona Diamondbacks are one of five teams still alive in the sweepstakes for Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, according to a report by MLB.com.
According to the report, the D-backs, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox still have a chance to land the 25-year-old right-hander, who went 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA in 2013 with the Rakuten Golden Eagles.
The Cubs are expected to make the most lucrative offer, according to the report, which also said rumors have the bidding narrowed to just the Cubs and Yankees — though those are, at this point, just rumors.
Tanaka has until 3 p.m. Friday to reach a decision, though it is believed he will agree in principle to a contract before then.
The D-backs reportedly made a six-year offer worth about $120 million during a meeting with Tanaka. Whichever team he chooses will pay $20 million, as part of Major League Baseball’s new international posting rules.
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