Tanaka Tuesdays are back in New York!

The star pitcher for the Yankees, and former ace (being supplanted by Luis Severino), right-hander Masahiro Tanaka has decided not to opt out of his current contract, and remain with the team until the 2020 season. Tanaka’s brilliant performances during the 2017 postseason helped to bring the Yankees within one game of the World Series, falling to the eventual champion Houston Astros. Even though he was 13-12 during the regular season, with a 4.74 ERA, Tanaka befuddled hitters with his devastating splitter during the playoffs. He was masterful in three games against the star-studded lineups of the Cleveland Indians and Astros, Tanaka dominated, giving up only two runs while holding batters to a .145 average.

Residing from Itami, Japan, Tanaka signed a seven-year contract worth $155 million with the Yankees back in 2014. After posting unprecedented numbers for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, the Yanks felt they had found another rotation ace who could lead them to championship number 28. While mostly living up to his hype, Tanaka has pitched solidly in his first four years in the league. But he has been prone to the home run ball, especially this season. Another concern for Masahiro is his health. While he has avoided missing significant amounts of time in his career, Tanaka has pitched with his right elbow “hanging on by a thread.” After tearing his UCL in his elbow during the 2014 season, Tanaka opted not to have surgery and has continued pitching with minimal effects. Yankee fans can only hope that they will never have to worry about Tanaka’s physical wellness, and that his postseason success will carry on into 2018.

With Masahiro locked into the Yanks rotation, they appear to need only one more dominant arm to lead them to the World Series. His name is Shohei Otani, and he can do it all. The Japanese stud is only 23 years old, but has already made waves in the MLB free-agency landscape. With his ability to buckle hitters with filthy curves and blow fastballs by the best in Japan, it is scary to think that pitching is only half his game. Otani is also one of the best hitters in Japan, posting .322 and .332 averages the past two seasons along with a 22-homer campaign a few years back. The Yankees have been known to produce successful Japanese players, including Tanaka and Hideki Matsui, years ago. With a boatload of international signing money available for the Yankees to spend, the match seems like one made in heaven. (Only the Texas Rangers can offer Otani a higher signing bonus than the Yankees.) The addition of Otani would surely make the Yankees early favorites to win the World Series in 2018.