900 million yen → 475 million yen → 260 million yen →?
More than half of the money is expected to be cut again this year. The annual salary of nearly 800 million yen will fly away in three years. Japanese media reported that the Rakuten Eagles presented Masahiro Tanaka (36), a right-handed pitcher, with a 40 percent reduction from 260 million yen (2.35 billion won) to 104 million yen. The Japanese professional baseball league has a 40 percent reduction limit when a player with an annual salary of more than 100 million yen renews his contract, but additional cuts can be made when the team and the players agree.
He went down to the bottom in his fourth year of returning to Japan.
Tanaka has pitched in just one game this season. He started the game against the Orix Buffaloes on Sept. 28, and allowed six hits and four runs in five innings to secure the loss. It was all the more regrettable because Rakuten was competing with Chiba Lotte Marines for third place. Rakuten ended the regular season in fourth place, and its manager Toshiaki Imae was replaced one year later. The team has been replaced for the 10th time in 20 years since its foundation.
In October last year, he had arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow at the age of mid-30s. He said it would take four months to return. He prepared for the season with enthusiasm through rehabilitation and training. He started at the first-team camp in February and threw a bullpen session.
His body couldn’t keep up with his wishes. He started the game in the second division due to poor physical condition, but his pace didn’t improve. He threw in the game against the Yokohama BayStars in the Eastern League (second division league) on March 20, before disappearing from the mound. Since its start in August, it went through practice games and second division games before joining the first division. However, he showed no presence at all, before turning around.
One loss and a 7.20 ERA in one game and five innings. This is the first time this year that Tanaka, who joined Rakuten as a rookie in 2007, finished the season without wins in Japan and the United States. 안전놀이터
Tanaka flew to the Major League after leading Rakuten to its first and only Japan Series title in 2013. He has 78 wins as a major pitcher for the New York Yankees for seven years.
After returning to the pro baseball in 2021, Rakuten was awarded 900 million yen (about 8.12 billion won), the highest annual salary in the Japanese pro baseball league. It signed a two-year contract through 2022. It gave the highest courtesy.
It didn’t take long for expectations to turn into disappointment. It had four wins in 2021 (nine losses), nine wins in 2022 (12), and seven wins in 2023 (11 losses). It had double-digit losses for the second consecutive year. In 2022, Tanaka returned to Rakuten and posted his record of 20 wins and 33 losses.
The U.S. and Japan still have three more wins to go before reaching the milestone. In August last year, the U.S. and Japan clinched their 197th win in total. To achieve the milestone, he must continue his career. He must sign the offer from Rakuten or find another team as a free agent.
