Four-time Nippon Professional Baseball “Ace” Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Orix) is getting closer to making the jump to the United States.
Yamamoto has been a highly sought-after pitcher during the MLB offseason. MLB.com recently reported that “Japanese prodigy Yamamoto is coming to the majors via the posting system” and that “nearly half the league has reached out to Yamamoto.”
After making his debut in 2017, Yamamoto went 16-6 with a 1.21 ERA in 23 games this year, winning his third straight Sawamura Award, which is given to the best starting pitcher.
In 2021, he went 18-5 with a 1.39 ERA in 26 games and 193⅔ innings pitched. Last season, he went 15-5 with a 1.68 ERA in 26 games and 193 innings pitched. For the third straight year, he was named the Pacific League Pitcher of the Year.
“Yamamoto is in Japan and will select a finalist to sign with and then head to the United States to meet with that team in person after the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings,” MLB.com reported.
“A number of teams have been rumored to be linked to Yamamoto in recent days, including the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Arizona Diamondbacks and Detroit Tigers,” MLB.com continued.
Recently, Yamamoto’s agent, Joel Wolf, said that “11 to 14 teams are interested in the 25-year-old Japanese ace.” Which team will he choose? Yamamoto is free to negotiate with any of the 30 big league clubs until 5 p.m. on January 4, 2024. The interest is explosive. 보스토토 주소
The Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, and Boston Red Sox have been mentioned as possible fits for Yamamoto. It is believed that Yamamoto could immediately earn a 1-2 spot in the big league rotation. As for his price tag, it’s been suggested that his contract could total more than $200 million over six or seven years.
Yamamoto is expected to sign the biggest contract outside of Ohtani. American media outlets ranked Yamamoto second in their top 25 offseason free agents. Aside from Shohei Ohtani, who has established himself as a top “two-hitting” star, Yamamoto is considered the biggest name in the game looking to break into the big leagues.