Yoshinobu Yamamoto Rumors: NL West Rival May Have Edge To Land Starting Pitcher

The Dodgers have been one of the more aggressive teams going after Japanese pitching sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto this offseason, and they remain one of the favorites to land him. But it seems that one of their NL West rivals may have an edge to signing him this winter.

Insider Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that there is a ton of buzz regarding Yamamoto and the San Francisco Giants. The Giants have been one of the many teams in on the pitcher this offseason, and they have been very determined to land him.

Yamamoto heading to San Francisco would be awful news for the Dodgers, so hopefully this is just leverage from his camp. He is generally seen as the best pitcher to come from Japan and has electric stuff on the mound.

He would instantly become the Giants ace of the future, and the Dodgers would have to see him multiple times for many years. It was thought that the biggest threats to LA for Yamamoto came from both the New York teams, but the Giants have been desperate to land a star player for years.

The Dodgers have been mentioned as a team that has a big interest in Yamamoto, but they seem to be preoccupied with two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani at the moment. There has been talk about them going after both Ohtani and Yamamoto, but that could prove to be difficult with the amount of teams vying for each player.

With the winter meetings taking place this coming week, we should have more clarity on everything. But we can all hope that Yamamoto doesn’t end up signing with the rival Giants this offseason.

Photo Credit: Yukihito Taguchi-USA TODAY Sports

Have you subscribed to our YouTube Channel yet? Subscribe and hit that notification bell to stay up to date on all the latest Dodgers news, rumors, interviews, live streams, and more!