NEW YORK -- Yankees starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka didn't have much to say when asked about Japanese star Shohei Ohtani's possible decision to leave millions of dollars on the table and head to the majors after this season -- well before Ohtani could really cash in.

"His decision to come here is solely up to him," Tanaka said Monday, via a team translator. "The choice is his. He's making his decision based on what he really wants to do."



Tanaka added that he hasn't spoken with Ohtani about the situation. The pair know each other, though, having spent time working out together in the offseason in Japan.



Tanaka took a seven-year, $155-million deal from the Yankees before the 2014 season. Some reports have suggested that if Ohtani -- dubbed Japan's Babe Ruth for his ability to hit and pitch -- were to wait a few years to make the jump, he could make as much $200 million.

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Circumstances for Tanaka were much different than Ohtani, however.



While Tanaka was also considered his native country's top player at the time, he was free to negotiate as big a deal as he wanted with a team in the U.S.



Ohtani, however, will be limited. MLB's new collective bargaining agreement has set hard limits on how much money teams can spend on international players younger than 25 years old.



Ohtani is 22. He recently told Bleacher Report that losing out on millions by heading to American before age 25 doesn't bother him.



"Personally, the new CBA rules do not mean much to me, and it is not going to stop me from going over to the states," Ohtani said, according to the website. "The only thing that worries me is the other young players that might try to go overseas after me. I don't want to set the bar too low for them and have to get underpaid because of my decision."



Tanaka was asked if he shared Ohtani's worry for future Japanese players looking to make boatloads of money shift to the MLB.



Tanaka didn't have much to say.



"We have to play by the rules," Tanaka said. "The rules are something that MLB establishes. Basically, as players, there's really nothing we can do about it. We just have have to play by the rules."

Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.