The Masahiro Tanaka bidding war is continuously getting hot as MLB teams intensify their chase on the highly-coveted Japanese Pitcher.
Fox Sports reporter Ken Rosenthal revealed that the Chicago Cubs are still pushing hard for Tanaka, who still has more than a week to decide where to play in the 2014 MLB Season.
Sources also added that the other Chicago team -- the White Sox -- are still pinning their hopes on the 25-year-old pitcher, who reportedly attracted interests of at least one-third of major league teams.
The Cubs do not view Tanaka as a cure-all solution to their rotation woes, but top executives believe that acquiring Tanaka would bolster their chances of becoming a serious contender over the next few seasons.
MLB analyst believe that if the Cubs land Tanaka and pair him up with their promising set of bats currently playing in the minors such as Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Albert Amora, and Jorge Soler, they could be a serious threat anytime soon.
Tanaka, who went 24-0 with an impressive 1.27 ERA for the Rakuten Golden Eagles in the Japanese League this season, is expected to command at least $100 million contract with reports saying that some teams are willing to offer as much as $140 million.
According to a report, financial factor will not hinder the Cubs in their bid to acquire the right hander.
"Tanaka's long-term potential could result in a record-breaking deal, but that doesn't appear to be a major hurdle for the Cubs. League revenues are at an all-time high, and the team's current internal options for building a competitive rotation in the near future are somewhat underwhelming. Signing Tanaka would be a good way to begin addressing that issue," Philly.com noted.
New York Yankees And LA Dodgers Still Favorites To Sign Tanaka
But while several teams are still hoping to win the Tanaka sweepstakes, it is still widely believed that the former Rakuten Golden Eagles pitcher will sign either with the Yankees or the Dodgers.
Previous reports suggested that Yankees made a strong pitch to Tanaka. The Yankees are desperately looking to complete their starting rotation, currently composed of CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, and Ivan Nova.
The Dodgers, on the other hand, are considered favorites as well, considering the fact that Tanaka's wife prefers to live in the West Coast.
Tanaka is expected to announce his decision on January 24 before the 5:00 PM deadline.
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