The 34-year-old hurler will earn $3.6 million. Itâ??ll be his third season back in Japan after his contract with the Yankees ended following the 2020 season. Tanaka registered a 3.31 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and a 126/30 K/BB ratio over 163 innings in 2022.

Tanaka didn't rule out a return to Major League Baseball when he inked a deal with Rakuten back in January, but if it happens it won't come in 2022. The 33-year-old held a 3.01 ERA over 23 starts in Japan in 2021.

The right-hander signed a two-year deal to return to Japan,  but it sounds like he'll test the MLB free agent market again after those two seasons. Tanaka,  who owns a 3.74 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over seven seasons with the Yankees,  would be 34-years old heading into the 2023 season. 

Even though the writing has been on the wall for weeks, this still feels like a stunning development, and a serious indictment on the current financial landscape in Major League Baseball. Unless, of course, Tanaka simply wanted to return home after a seven-year run in New York. The right-hander began his professional career with the Rakuten Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball way back in 2007 at the age of 18. Now age 32, he posted a sharp 3.56 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 44/8 K/BB ratio in 48 innings (10 starts) last year with the Yankees.