Imagining Each MLB Suitor's Starting Rotation with Masahiro Tanaka

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The anticipation for Masahiro Tanaka's decision has reached a fever pitch, which is good news because the Japanese star will officially be a Major League Baseball player by January 24. 

That is the deadline for a team to sign the 25-year-old. We still don't know which teams have placed, or will place, the $20 million posting fee for the right to negotiate with him, but there are enough whispers floating around that we know the main suitors. 

Not surprisingly, the most talked about teams in the Tanaka sweepstakes are on the East Coast (New York Yankees) and West Coast (Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels). They have the most money to spend, offer opportunities to win right away and more media exposure than you can imagine. 

But there are other candidates who can offer big money and have glaring holes in the starting rotation that you shouldn't sleep on.

For this discussion, we will examine the six suitors, ranked in ascending order, most often mentioned with Tanaka (Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Angels, Rangers) and what both sides would get out of a potential deal. 

Note: All stats courtesy of Fangraphs and Baseball Reference unless otherwise noted.