Yoshinobu Yamamoto Won’t Be Joining Archrival Giants, Dodgers Still Among Finalists: Report
Free agent pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, whose arrival from Japan has held up the market for the rest of the major league free-agent class, won’t be joining the Dodgers’ archrivals this offseason.
The San Francisco Giants were among the finalists for Yamamoto along with the Dodgers, New York Yankees and New York Mets. Now, as Yamamoto trims his list of possible destinations, San Francisco is out of the running.
According to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area, the Giants’ proposed offer to Yamamoto fell short:
The Giants’ starting rotation behind ace Logan Webb is perilously thin on paper. Their need for Yamamoto was arguably just as strong as that of any team still bidding for his services.
After the Dodgers traded for Tyler Glasnow and signed Shohei Ohtani to a 10-year contract to bolster their starting rotation for the long term, the Giants’ need for a counterstrike was obvious. Now, they will have to pivot to Plan B on a free agent market that still includes Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery and others.
For the Dodgers, any report suggesting they are still in the running for Yamamoto comes as welcome news. However, the Yankees and Mets are no strangers to expensive bidding wars. And some reports have suggested Yamamoto would prefer to own the spotlight in a large market apart from Ohtani.
The bidding for Yamamoto could reach $300 million, as some scouts consider him the best pitcher to emerge from Japan — certainly in this market, if not ever. However, ESPN reported the final round of bidding was only expected to escalate this week, long after preliminary numbers were exchanged. The Dodgers are reportedly considering an offer in the $250-300 million range.
Ohtani’s camp invited Yamamoto to attend Thursday night’s NFL game between the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints together. However, Yamamoto couldn’t make it out. Ohtani was among a small cadre of Dodger players to pitch Yamamoto during an in-person meeting last week.
Image Credit: Yukihito Taguchi-USA TODAY Sports
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