Japanese hurler Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the top available starting pitcher on the free-agent market. When will we find out which MLB team he’ll play for in 2024 and beyond?
It could be sometime this week, per a December 12 report from Will Sammon and Chris Kirshner of The Athletic.
There are seven teams still in the running to sign him. These squads include the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays. Here’s where each of those teams currently stand in their pursuit of the 25-year-old.
Phillies & Blue Jays on the Peripheral of the Sweepstakes
The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported the Phillies met with Yamamoto on December 14. It will be interesting to see if Philadelphia makes a serious push for the right-handed hurler, though. Mostly because Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer said on November 16 the Phillies would strongly consider Yamamoto if they couldn’t re-sign Aaron Nola.
Of course, Nola and the Phillies then agreed to a seven-year, $172 million deal on November 19, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
As for Toronto, the extent of their interest in Yamamoto isn’t necessarily known. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand does confirm that the Jays indeed met with the hurler and his camp.
Giants & Red Sox Making a Strong Push
MLB Trade Rumors predicted a nine-year, $225 million contract for Yamamoto on November 5. By the time he actually signs a deal, though, that number could look like chump change.
Heyman said on December 5 the hurler’s total compensation could surpass $300 million. Boston and San Francisco were said to have offers on the table that exceeded that number, per a December 16 report from The Athletic’s Jim Bowden. However, ESPN’s Jeff Passan refuted that by saying contract terms haven’t been discussed yet.
Passan also said bidding could start as early as December 18.
Also in the story: All the alleged $300M bids for Yoshinobu Yamamoto — that’s inaccurate, sources tell ESPN. Teams have been asked not to discuss terms yet. But that could change today when bidding, sources said, is expected to begin. Now is when Yamamoto’s free agency gets real.
Despite these two squads making a strong push, rumors were focused on circulating the Big Apple for the remainder of the weekend.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto Met With Mets & Yankees Again
Before Yamamoto came back to the States to meet with interested teams face-to-face, Mets owner Steve Cohen and President of Baseball Operations David Stearns jumped the line. They were part of a group that traveled to Japan before the Winter Meetings to meet the hurler and his family, per Sammon on December 6.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported on December 17 that the pitcher flew across the country to have dinner with the Mets.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto had dinner on Saturday at Steve Cohen’s house with a Mets contingent, The Post has learned
SNY’s Andy Martino noted this second meeting was requested by Yamamoto, which shows the Mets have a serious chance of landing the starting pitcher.
They weren’t the only New York team Yamamoto and Co. met with this weekend. He also had another sit-down with the Yankees. Heyman noted that once again, this was done at the request of the hurler. Nightengale said in his weekend notebook on December 17 the Yankees still appear to be favorites to land the hurler.
Dodgers Remain a Serious Threat
While the Yankees could be in the lead for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, it doesn’t mean they have it wrapped up just yet. In that same weekend notebook, Nightengale said the pitcher was impressed by the Dodgers’ in-person pitch on December 12. That meeting included the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
It may be hard to imagine how Los Angeles could afford to drop at least another $300 million after agreeing to a 10-year, $700 million deal with Ohtani this winter. However, the massive deferrals in the reigning AL MVP’s contract has made it a possibility.
Heyman isn’t discounting the Dodgers’ chances of making yet another big splash. He called Los Angeles and the Yankees “co-favorites” during a December 14 report on MLB Network.
The Yamamoto rumor mill has seemingly gone into overdrive. But if that initial report from Sammon and Kirschner of The Athletic still holds, a conclusion could be coming soon.
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Here’s Where 7 MLB Teams Stand in Their Pursuit of Yoshinobu Yamamoto