I signed up specifically to comment on this thread which I am sure will lead me down the rabbit hole. From what I have read this would be a decent way to go for the Twins. signing Tanaka would generate some hype (for the casual fan maybe not "good" due to the Nishi debacle), the team will get a good pitcher and will be seen as spending money. However there are some things to think about here. First off is the posting fee. The people who think that his fee will be higher than Darvish's are likely wrong. Tanaka's stuff isn't as good. He also has some moving parts in his delivery, relies on his splitter for his out pitch, and has thrown a lot more pitches than most 24 year olds. The most worrying thing for me is that he seems to pitch high in (and out of) the zone. I got my info here ( I paid a bit of attention to the analysis but more to the stats.) Pitch high in MLB is a good way to have a high ERA. As disjointed as this post may be, my point is this: Tanaka has a ceiling of a good number 2 for a contender but is more likely to be an average 2 or top notch 3. For the Twins he would become our ace for next season and show the rest of the free agent market that we have found some ambition. As far as his posting fee, it should be around 33 million but if some team wants him enough could go as high as 45m. For me 45 is too much as I don't see Tanaka as worth that plus a five or 6 year deal at over 10m a season. you can find better value elsewhere.
