MASAHIRO TANAKA: OVER BEFORE IT STARTED

So... what else is new?  The Yanks just can't seem to get a break.  It's actually bigger than the Yankees.  It turns out that because Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball can't come to an agreement on a compensation system... there may not be Masahiro Tanaka in 2014.

Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times writes: "Major League Baseball chief operating officer Rob Manfred said Thursday that because Japanese baseball officials are taking too long to respond to MLB's proposal on overseas player transfers, the deal is no longer on the table.

Manfred said MLB would amend its proposal on how it acquires players from Japan. This could further delay the process of Tanaka being auctioned to major-league teams, and it’s not out of the question that the 25-year-old right-hander might not be auctioned at all this winter."

So, if there is a delay, the Yankees will need to move on.  Currently, the Yankees have CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova in their starting rotation. Yankee fans need a big three in their rotation now that Andy Pettitte has left and Hiroki Kuroda is in limbo trying to decide between Japan, the Yankees and retirement.  It's brutal right now.

We'll have a rumors piece in a few days breaking down who the Yankees are looking at in the pitching department... stay tuned...

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