Breaking: New york yankees ex-pitcher shock a fan with…..

Technically, the Brooklyn Nets considered a “New York” sports team. Yes, Brooklyn is in New York, but it still feels as if the Barclays Center is simply borrowing a New Jersey basketball team in between Drake concerts.

But … hey, the YES Network carries both the Nets and Yankees, so it’s only natural to wonder if some old Yankee ties brought (drumroll please) Masahiro Tanaka and his lovely wife to town to watch the Nets take on … well, we’re not sure.

The post went up Thursday and the Nets played the Bucks (and kind of, sort of tanked the game) on Wednesday. Could Tanaka have been in town this week? Might this have been an old photo from sometime around the Yoshinobu Yamamoto meeting? Has Tanaka been in town meeting anyone else, perhaps? Maybe selling a different Japanese pitcher on the team’s culture, amid Brian Cashman’s search for pitching?

His caption? “NY was fun again this year,” featuring a Statue of Liberty emoji. Could it be … fun for the whole year, perhaps?

What was former Yankees star Masahiro Tanaka doing at Barclays Center?

Tanaka, who’s still wearing a Yankees jacket in his Instagram profile picture, was very much not discarded by the organization on his way out (contrary to the belief of many of our rival fans). He left New York at a natural end point at the age of 32 and, instead of fleeing to another MLB city, went back to Japan to pitch for the Rakuten Golden Eagles once more. He was a victim of the Yankees’ luxury tax maneuvering, and they chose Corey Kluber, a move that looks bad in retrospect, but it doesn’t appear there was much ill will involved.

While he battled a partial UCL tear almost immediately upon arriving to the states, he still managed to become a solid No. 2/3 starter and a playoff stalwart for the modern Yankees. He took a massive paycut on a one-year deal with Rakuten last winter, humbly valuing himself in the wake of a difficult season. He went 13-21 from 2021-22 (albeit with a solid ERA and control numbers), and his future appears to be hanging in the balance a bit once more.

Any chance he got one more visit with the Cole family in during his time in New York this winter? Could really use him on a one-way plane ticket. Just saying.

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Latest Blake Snell buzz sugges

s Yankees’ stars have chance to strong-arm Cashman

Within the last week, it was reported the New York Yankees were all but officially out on Blake Snell after having done their homework on the left-hander. Not sure what that homework was, but it seemed as if the front office wasn’t going to chase a big name just for the sake of it after losing out on Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Turns out, the new year might’ve had Brian Cashman and Co. re-thinking their plans. Though the rotation isn’t necessarily in bad shape heading into 2024, it certainly needs more help for stability and contention purposes.

Snell does carry some concerns with longevity and health, but the man has won two Cy Young awards and has two current fans on the Yankees that wield a ton of influence: Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole.

You saw Judge’s Instagram post early on in the 2023 campaign. He’s friends with Snell. As for Cole, well, the soft-spoken ace is apparently a fan of the lefty, too.

In Jon Heyman’s latest column for the New York Post, Cole would reportedly be “all for it” if the Yankees signed Snell, who is now being “considered” by the Bombers.

Latest Blake Snell buzz suggest Yankees’ stars have chance to strong-arm Cashman

That’s not all, either. Per MassLive.com, there’s belief a short-term, high AAV contract with opt outs might end up being Snell’s fate, especially since his market seems to be jam-packed with win-now World Series contenders. His injury history, age and having never thrown more than 181 innings in a season have likely factored into teams backing off of a massive long-term deal with the veteran.

A shorter-term deal would definitely fit the Yankees’ plans. Though Yamamoto seemed to be the exception this offseason, New York’s willingness to dole out megadeals has dwindled in this modern era. They acquired Giancarlo Stanton’s contract in a trade, which restricted their spending. Then they splurged on Gerrit Cole because they had no choice. And then Aaron Judge backed them into a corner after an historic 2022 season.

The last time the Yankees paid an outside free agent like that? Uh … Masahiro Tanaka? The colossally stupid Aroldis Chapman contract? Take your pick.

Nonetheless, the Yankees clearly earmarked $300+ million in free agency spending when they were in the Yamamoto sweepstakes until the end. Though Snell isn’t worth that money, he warrants attention because of his pedigree, ability to pitch in the playoffs, and the fact he’s liked by two of the most important Yankees on the current roster. And if he can only go five or six innings comfortably, so be it. That’s a poor fit for some rosters, but a fine fate for the Yankees, given their propensity to build bullpens.

Is it time for Judge and Cole to get

in the front office’s ear once again? Judge has seemingly been successful, but Cole could use redemption after the Josh Donaldson acquisition and Jordan Montgomery/Michael King departures that he probably wasn’t the biggest fan of.