Yankees' Aaron Boone: Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton 'Will Really Be Missed'
The Yankees brought in a handful of new faces this offseason, bolstering both their pitching rotation and bullpen with some veteran arms. While the experienced hurlers donning pinstripes for the first time are poised to help this team strive toward championship contention, it's bittersweet.
Pitchers and catchers reported to the Yankees' facility in Tampa on Wednesday and both Masahiro Tanaka and James Paxton weren't among them.
Paxton recently agreed to a one-year deal with the Mariners, returning to Seattle where he spent the first six years of his career. Tanaka, after seven seasons in the Bronx, made the decision this offseason to return home to Japan, signing with the Rakuten Eagles.
Asked on Wednesday about the departures of the two veteran starters, Boone smiled.
"Both those guys in different ways will really be missed," he said.
Tanaka finished his stint in pinstripes with 78 wins and a 3.74 ERA over 174 appearances. He was beloved by the fan base, a staple in this club's rotation through thick and thin. Further, up until this past season, when the right-hander struggled mightily in the postseason, Tanaka had a spectacular 1.76 ERA across eight playoff starts.
Boone revealed that he texted back and forth with the right-hander as Tanaka was in the process of making his decision to return to Japan.
"In Masa's case, you know, he had a very long and outstanding Yankee career and was one of those guys that I've talked about was a privilege for me to get to manage," Boone said. "I loved everything about Masa. His professionalism, his competitiveness, his personality. I'll miss him in that way."
As for Paxton, the left-hander was only able to pitch in five games in 2020 due to injuries across New York's pandemic-shortened campaign. In 2019, however, Paxton had one of the best seasons of his career. He won 15 games in his first season with the Bombers, leading the Yankees' rotation in ERA (3.82) and strikeouts (86).
"Obviously last year was a tough year for him dealing with just trying to get right and get physically all the way back and wasn't able to do it, but I love Pax," Boone said.
"He pitched so many big games for us in 2019 and I know how much he put into it. I'm just really proud of the things that he was able to overcome throughout different points of his Yankee career and wish him well certainly moving on."
Their two spots in the rotation have already been filled. New York traded for former Pirates right-hander Jameson Taillon while signing two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber. Southpaw Jordan Montgomery is poised to take another step forward as a starter in 2021 while the fifth spot in the rotation appears to be open for a competition.
"I see a lot of competition there, frankly," Boone said. "[Domingo] Germán, Deivi [Garcia], [Clarke] Schmidt, Jhoulys Chacin who we brought in. All these guys we feel like are certainly capable of stepping into that role."
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