Video: C.J. Nitkowski Breaks Down Dodgers Interest In Masahiro Tanaka

Japanese sensation Masahiro Tanaka has reportedly returned home to Japan after taking meetings with several teams in Los Angeles this past week. The Chicago Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers are among the teams that reportedly met with him and agent Casey Close.

News broke Friday that the Dodgers were going “all-in” for Tanaka, but then reports surfaced they wouldn’t bid wildly nor engage in a bidding war for the 25-year-old pitcher. However, a report from Hochi Sports last night suggested the Dodgers, Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were the three finalists, but the Yankees were in the lead.

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LA Times writer Dylan Hernandez, who’s been all over the Tanaka saga, said to take the report with a grain of salt as Hochi reported that the Rakuten Eagles weren’t posting him in the first place. Still, the Dodgers seem to be in the thick of the bidding and MLB.com analyst C.J. Nitkowski broke down their interest and discussed what their rotation would look like if he became a Dodger.

Here’s what Nitkowski had to say: