pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, who has won 197 games in the U.S. and Japanese professional baseball leagues, leaves his team dissatisfied with the salary reduction plan.
Kyodo News reported on the 25th that Tanaka announced on his YouTube channel that he would leave Rakuten and continue his career with the new team.안전놀이터
As soon as Tanaka joined Rakuten, a Japanese Pacific League team, in 2007, he served as a pitcher representing Japan. Notably, he garnered 24 wins and no losses with an ERA of 1.27 in 2013, before joining the New York Yankees through posting. He had 78 wins and 46 losses with an ERA of 3.74 for seven seasons with the Yankees.
However, after returning to Rakuten in 2021, his performance plummeted. He only won and lost 20-33 during four seasons.
In particular, he lost one game and had a 7.20 ERA in just one game this year, which seemed to be effectively ending his career.
His salary was also cut sharply as his performance deteriorated. Tanaka, who received 900 million yen in the 2021-2022 season, cut his salary to 475 million yen in the 2023 season and halved to 260 million yen again in the 2024 season.
On top of that, when Rakuten offered a more than 40% cut next season in recent salary negotiations, Tanaka announced his separation.
Tanaka said, "I don't know where I'll play next season, but I'm in good condition and training well," adding, "Next year, I'll make up for what I haven't thrown this season and show a good performance."
Tanaka, who had 119 wins and 67 losses in 10 seasons in Japan, recorded 197 wins and 113 losses overall in the U.S. and Japan.
The new team is in a position to achieve 200 wins in total between the U.S. and Japan, but it is unclear which team will recruit.