The 30-day period to sign the star 25-year-old right-hander began at 8 a.m. EST Thursday, and New York wasted little time in making its interest known. Clubs have until 5 p.m. on Jan. 24 to attempt to reach an agreement with the ace.

Tanaka is represented by Excel Sports Management, which also represents Yankees SS Derek Jeter.

Tanaka went 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA with the Eagles during the regular season.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers — and possibly the Seattle Mariners — are expected to be the other serious players for Tanaka's services. But look for the Yankees, who lack a clear-cut ace and need to imoprove their starting pitching, to go all out.

He won't come cheap. USA Today's Bob Nightengale reports "officials involved in Tanaka sweepstakes say the Japanese star will cost a minimum of $17 million a year."

If Tanaka and a major league team come to terms, that franchise is required to pay his Japanese club, the Rakuten Eagles, a posting fee, now capped at $20 million under a deal reached two weeks ago between MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball. Under the old, no-limit system, the Texas Rangers paid over $50 million for the right to negotiate with Yu Darvish before the 2012 season.


METS STILL SHOPPING DAVIS


The New York Mets continue to shop first baseman Ike Davis as they try to solve the problem of having Davis and Lucas Duda, two similar players, available at first base.

The team recently tried to swing a deal with the Baltimore Orioles to get left-handed pitching prospect Eduardo Rodriguez, 20, in exchange for Davis, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post. But the Birds balked.

Still, the Mets aren't giving up. Puma reports they still are talking to the Orioles, as well as the Milwaukee Brewers and Pittsburgh Pirates, about a deal for Davis.

Davis, 26, hit 32 home runs and drew 60 walks in 2012, but hit just .227. He struggled with injuries and inffectiveness in 2013, ending the year with a .205/.326/.334 slash line and just nine homers in 103 games.


URIBE AMONG DODGERS' SIGNEES


The Los Angeles Dodgers bolstered their bullpen on Tuesday, announcing deals with J.P. Howell, Chris Perez and Jamey Wright. They also brought back third baseman Juan Uribe.

Howell returns to Los Angeles for a two-year contract that includes a third-year vesting option. He held opponents to a .193 batting average last season and had a 2.03 ERA, both career bests.

Howell, who went 4-1 in 67 appearances in his first year with the team, was especially tough on left-handed hitters, holding them to a .164 batting average.

General manager Ned Colletti said Howell's demeanor and competitiveness were "real positives" in the clubhouse.

Coming off his best season with Los Angeles, Uribe received a two-year deal. He batted .278 with 12 homers and 50 RBIs in 132 games. He also had a big postseason homer that helped the Dodgers clinch their NL division series against Atlanta.


HUNTER TO CLOSE FOR O'S?


Jim Johnson is gone, traded away to the Oakland A's. Grant Balfour is out of the picture, too. The free-agent market is quickly drying up.

So it's late December, and the Baltimore Orioles still don't know who their 2014 closer is going to be.

One strong possibility at this point, according to the Baltimore Sun: Handing the ninth inning responsibilities to veteran Tommy Hunter, a former starter who served as Johnson's primary setup man in 2013.

“We have dependable relievers,” Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette told the newspaper. “I’m sure we can find somebody to get the last couple outs.”

Hunter, 27, went 6-5 with a 2.81 ERA and four saves in 68 relief appearances in 2013. He dominated right-handed batters (.141/.190  /.154, no homers in 159 plate apperances), but had trouble with lefty swingers (.294/.322/.535, 11 home runs in 177 plate appearances). Those platoon splits have to of concern to the Orioles.

But they may have little choice. The O's already have missed out on free-agents Chris Perez, Edward Mujica and Joaquin Benoit, leaving only Fernando Rodney as a realitistic possiblity from outside the organization.


RANGERS INTRODUCE CHOO


Shin-Soo Choo has officially joined the Texas Rangers, a team that went into this offseason looking to remake its offense.

The 31-year-old South Korean was introduced Friday, and general manager Jon Daniels called him a "right fit" for the club.

Choo received a $130 million, seven-year contract. That deal was agreed upon last weekend, pending the completion of a physical.

He has a .288 career average and .389 on-base percentage in 853 major league games for Seattle (2005-06), Cleveland (2006-12) and Cincinnati.

He has at least 20 homers and 20 stolen bases three times, including last season when he started 150 games in center field and was the primary leadoff hitter for the Reds in his only year there.


FORMER ORIOLES GREAT DIES


Paul Blair, the eight-time Gold Glove center fielder who helped the Baltimore Orioles win a pair of World Series titles while gliding to make catches that former teammates still marvel at more than four decades later, has died. He was 69.

Blair died Thursday night at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

Blair's wife, Gloria, told The Baltimore Sun, that Blair played a round of golf with friends Thursday morning and later lost consciousness at a celebrity bowling tournament in Pikesville.

A member of the Orioles Hall of Fame, the popular Blair patrolled the outfield from 1964-76, playing key parts when Baltimore won its first two World Series crowns in 1966 and 1970. He won two more titles with the New York Yankees in 1977 and 1978 and also played for Cincinnati.

Contributors: Justin McGuire, The Associated Press