Masahiro Tanaka Its Not About the Money A Glimpse of His Pride

“I’ll just keep doing what I can, without changing.”

“It’s not about the money. I felt like ‘I’m not expecting’.”

The Child of God with a career total of 197 wins is now at a crossroads in his professional baseball life.

Masahiro Tanaka (36), who ended the season with zero wins due to the effects of surgery, received a drastic pay cut offer during his contract renewal this offseason, far exceeding the allowed reduction limit, leading him to part ways with his current team, Rakuten.

“Given that he’s a star pitcher just three wins shy of joining the prestigious Meikyukai (Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame), other teams were expected to immediately pursue him, but no team has yet publicly declared an interest in signing him. This has likely come as a surprise to Tanaka’s side as well,” said a sports newspaper editor.

On December 8, Tanaka appeared at Ma-kun Lab 2024, an event held at an indoor practice facility in Setagaya. This event, co-hosted by Mizuno and Tanaka, saw Tanaka teaching pitching skills to six junior high school third-year students selected from across the country.

“During the event, Tanaka appeared relaxed, but after the event, his expression turned serious during interviews. He said, ‘I’ll just keep doing what I can, without changing,’ hinting at his determination to continue playing,” reported a journalist who covered the event.

Even legends like Tanaka face the reality that without a team willing to sign them, retirement becomes inevitable. Tanaka understands this well.

“During his time with Rakuten, Tanaka had many additional benefits, such as being guaranteed a top-floor room on the highest floor when traveling for away games and having his home rent covered, in addition to his salary. However, Tanaka has decided to put his pride aside and will not request special treatment from the next team he joins. He seems focused on widening his opportunities for a move,” said a Rakuten team official.

At the event, Tanaka told the students, “The most important thing in baseball is guts.” Whether his next move will be decided by that same grit remains to be seen.