What has been known for quite some time is now official: Masahiro Tanaka is moving on from the Yankees.

Tanaka announced on Wednesday that he is returning to Japan to pitch for the Rakuten Golden Eagles.

While announcing his return to Japan, Tanaka penned a farewell to Yankees fans:

"To my beloved fans, I hope everybody is keeping safe during these challenging times. I wanted to reach out to you because I have made a decision on where I will be playing this coming season. I have decided to return to Japan and play for the Rakuten Eagles for the 2021 season. I wanted to make sure and touch base with you, and thank you for all the love and support you have given me for the past 7 seasons. I feel extremely fortunate for having the opportunity to take the field as a member of the New York Yankees, and play in front of all you passionate fans. It has been an honor and a privilege! Thank you so much!!"

Per SNY's Andy Martino, one MLB team offered Tanaka the role of closer, but he wasn't interested.

When it came to Tanaka's potential future with the Yankees, the writing had been on the wall for a while.

As Tanaka remained on the free agent market, the Yanks signed Corey Kluber to a one-year deal worth $11 million and then made a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates for Jameson Taillon.

In addition the impact adding Kluber and Taillon had on a potential Tanaka return, the Yankees have been wary of exceeding the $210 million luxury tax threshold, which re-signing Tanaka likely would've led to.

With Tanaka returning to Japan, he leaves the Yankees after seven seasons, during which he established himself as a durable and key member of the rotation who excelled in the postseason.

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