Yankees' Pitcher Tanaka Becomes Free Agent
In Major League Baseball, Japanese pitcher Tanaka Masahiro has become a free agent after wrapping up his seven-year contract with the New York Yankees.
MLB teams were able to make one-year qualifying offers to eligible former players until Sunday.
Six Yankees players became free agents this season, but this season's batting champion, DJ LeMahieu, was the only one who received an 18.9 million-dollar qualifying offer from his former team.
Tanaka will now be allowed to negotiate a contract with any Major League team, including the Yankees, as well as teams in Japan.
The MLB kicked off its regular season this year without spectators, resulting in deep falls in revenue.
Speculation is on the rise that players will have difficulty landing major contracts during the off-season.
However, Tanaka has notched 78 wins during his seven seasons with the Yankees, and is said to be in the top stream among the players who became free agents.
