Dodgers, Yankees Considered Co-Favorites for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Per New York Insider
With two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani officiall signed, the Dodgers front office has turned to starting pitcher as their priority. The front office entered the offseason with the idea to bring in at least two front-line starters to help bolster this rotation.
They got one ace-level pitcher, acquiring right-hander Tyler Glasnow from the Tampa Bay Rays. And now, they are focused on trying to reel in their next big catch, Japanese pitching sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
L.A. has shown an interest in Yamamoto all offseason, and they have been aggressive in pursuing him. They met with him earlier this week and pulled out all the stops during their meeting.
The team had multiple players attend the meeting, including the newest member of the Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani. Manager Dave Roberts’ said that Ohtani has been recruiting Yamamoto to come to L.A. since the two have a good relationship from their time together with Team Japan at the World Baseball Classic.
It was always thought that Yamamoto would sign with a big-market team, and the New York Yankees and Dodgers have always made the most sense. MLB Insider Jon Heyman of The New York Post has listed the Yankees and Dodgers as co-favorites to land Yamamoto.
“The Yankees and the Dodgers, I would put them as co-favorites at the moment.”
Per Jon Heyman of The New York Post
Heyman also said that there are other teams in the mix, including the New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays. It’s rare when every big market team is in on one free agent, so the bidding war has vastly increased what he will get on the open market.
There are some who believe Yamamoto could get around $300 million on his contract, which is a large amount of money for someone who hasn’t thrown a pitch in the big leagues yet. But if any pitcher is worth this deal, it’s Yamamoto.
He is seen by many as the best pitcher to come from Japan, and he is only 25 years old. We hardly ever see pitching free agents directly in their prime like this, making the fight to land him very interesting.
Landing Yamamoto would be a game-changer for the Dodgers’ starting rotation, as he could slot in at the front. Alongside him would be Glasnow, Bobby Miller and Walker Buehler — giving the Dodgers one of the best rotations in baseball.
However, it’s unclear if the Dodgers are willing to go as high in the bidding as some of the other teams. But the hope is that once everything clears out, Yamamoto will be wearing a Dodgers jersey for the foreseeable future.
Photo Credit: Yukihito Taguchi-USA TODAY Sports
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