Report: Tanaka in negotiations for return to Japan with Golden Eagles

Masahiro Tanaka appears ready to head home.

The right-hander is in the late stages of negotiations with Nippon Professional Baseball's Rakuten Golden Eagles, according to Pete Caldera of NorthJersey.com, citing a report from Japan's Sankei Sports.

Rakuten could make its official contract offer to Tanaka in the coming week, the Sankei report stated, per Caldera.

For Tanaka, signing with Rakuten would mark a return to his roots as a pitcher. He spent the first seven years of his professional career with the Golden Eagles, where he developed into a star and helped the team to a Japan Series title in 2013. That winter he was posted for MLB teams, and subsequently signed a seven-year, $155-million contract with the New York Yankees.

Speculation about Tanaka's big-league future has grown all winter after it was reported in December he'd either re-sign with the Yankees or return to Japan (he later denied that report). But his route back to the Bronx was made more difficult in the last two weeks after the Yankees signed Corey Kluber and traded for Jameson Taillon, who will essentially replace him in the rotation. New York's luxury-tax concerns have also worked against his re-signing.

Tanaka is believed to be asking major-league teams for a one-year deal in the $15-million to $20-million range. He's also been linked to the San Diego Padres, though negotiations don't appear to have advanced very far.

Over his seven seasons with the Yankees, Tanaka compiled a 78-46 record with a 3.74 ERA, 3.91 FIP, 1.13 WHIP, 991 strikeouts, and four shutouts across 1,054 1/3 innings. He made a pair of All-Star Game appearances and also posted a 3.33 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 10 postseason starts.

Tanaka's best season in the majors was in 2016, when he finished seventh in AL Cy Young voting.