Tanaka

Sometimes the efforts to reload the Yankees can boil down to a single word or phrase.  Last week it was Cano, this week it is Tanaka.  The poor judgement used in losing Cano can be erased in the minds of most fans by finding Tanaka.

The Yankees and their fans disrespected Cano, it is abundantly true.  They took him for less than he was because he is Black and Dominican, on the other hand, they gave Ellsbury far more than they should have because he is perceived to be White (but is also Native American).  We are all something or another, and in the color-conscious America in which we live, how we play our race card makes a difference in $ and sense impressions.

Cano was aloof, distant to Yankee fans, they characteristically judged him by his skin color and called his casual defensive and base-running styles - laziness.  They like the phony butt-busting of a Youkilis or Pedroia more, players who characteristically  play themselves into injury by running out routine ground ball outs at break-neck effort since they lack speed.  Cano tamed his style, sacrificed a rabbit start for balance and power, averages 160 games per season and is an all-time talent at 2B.  Pedroia is an overblown myth who gets better ball/strike calls than any whiner in the game-- Youkilis got $11 million last year for playing 20 PHONY butt busting games-- fans love him-- go figure.

Tanaka is another story, can the Yankees tame their urge to stereotype and misjudge? They suspended their petulance to hire CC and won a title. They did not do well with Jeter and embarrassed their classy leader during negotiations- only to have Jeter give them one of his best seasons. Kuroda and Ichiro give Tanaka two reasons to look at the Yankees, they will have to pay and average salary above $20 million to sign him and they are unlikely to do so,

My pick is Seattle where they would become contenders in the weak West with Cano, Felix Hernandez and Tanaka. The Dodgers can afford it but don't need a pitcher badly enough to pay $20m , money they can use to keep Kershaw and Puig.  However, if the Yanks do give in to the glitz and expectations that help sell tickets, they can get Tanaka, they can value him for what he is worth rather than what he appears to be. Signing Tanaka will expand the Yankees brand in Asia and in Asian communities in the US. That is worth millions now and potentially more if the team succeeds.
  
Tanaka represents a $100 m gamble, he could flame out and become a trade and salary dump leaving NY paying for the mistake for five years.  It is a gamble worth taking, because Tanaka adds something no one else can add right now-- a buzz in the Bronx!