If you won the lotto and received lump sum of $155 million, what would you do? Would you be the good hearted child who buys his parents a new house or new car? How about hooking your friends up with some red corvettes like Mr. Deeds? Perhaps you buy a mansion and never work a day again. But if you're the Yankees, you go out and buy the best pitcher on the international market and hope he is everything scouts say he is.
There is so much trepidation that comes with signing international players. Will their games translate? Will they be able to adjust to the 162 game schedule? As a fan, when I heard the Yankees signed Masahiro Tanaka for $155 mil, I was excited. I appreciate management making the effort to better the team. From scouts and press, it seemed like Tanaka was going to be worth it. But then the rotation was setup so that Tanaka was slotted 4th. You don't pay 155 big ones for a 4th pitcher. You pay that money for an ace.
After three games, Cashman has got to be feeling good about his money. Sure, spring training was good to Tanaka, but regular season is where it counts. Thankfully, after three games, Tanaka has fit right in and some. His control has definitely translated over, even with the larger MLB ball: 28 strikeouts to 2 walks. Incredible! His splitter, as advertised, is nigh unhittable. But even more so, he has a full repertoire that he can use. His slider, splitter, and two seamer are all plus pitches. If you have not had the chance to see him pitch, please do. You will enjoy seeing a young pitcher grow into an ace in front of your eyes.
If you have a couple 100 million dollars lying around, go buy yourself an international star. It just might work out for you.
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