Could Yamamoto land $300 million deal?
December 4: Is Yamamoto going to get a $300 million deal?
The market for Yamamoto has only grown more cutthroat during the offseason. The 25-year-old star is “the most sought after free agent on the market based on interested teams,” according to Jim Bowden of The Athletic—quite an accomplishment during a free agency period that is dominated by Shohei Ohtani.
For Yamamoto, the competition can only mean favorable things regarding his upcoming contract. At the beginning of the offseason, MLB Trade Rumors predicted that Yamamoto would sign a nine-year, $225 million contract, but it now appears that amount has increased. Bowden estimates that Yamamoto could fetch nearly $300 million in the open market.
Gerrit Cole is the only pitcher to have ever received $300 million or more on the open market (nine years, $324 million). Only six players have ever received $300 million or more. Ohtani is probably going to surpass that amount; according to reports, the bidding has exceeded $500 million and may even reach $600 million. However, Yamamoto, one of the youngest free agents available and a star in Nippon Professional Baseball, looks like he could sign a $300 million contract this offseason. Teams still have until January 4 at 5 p.m. ET to sign Yamamoto, as his posting window closes.
Dec. 4: Giants gaining traction; Yamamoto sweepstakes heating up?
A number of teams appear to be putting a lot of effort into signing Yamamoto, the best starting pitcher available this season, as the Winter Meetings get underway in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Giants have been gaining “a lot of momentum” in the Yamamoto market, per MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi. The San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser has also heard “an awful lot of buzz on the Giants and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.” Some of the other teams vying for the 25-year-old believe San Francisco “might have an edge” in the bidding, according to Slusser.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported on Sunday that the Giants, along with the Dodgers and Mets, are in on the Japanese ace. The Yankees, he continues, are “doing everything possible” to acquire Yamamoto. As the Yankees and Juan Soto’s trade negotiations are reportedly at a standstill, the Bronx Bombers may be concentrating on Yamamoto, who they consider to be their “No. 1 priority,” according to Nightengale.
Two days after Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe wrote that Boston is “among the teams expected to be finalists” for the Japanese right-hander, Morosi reports that the Red Sox are still in the running for the right-hander.
According to a recent report by MLB Network insider Jon Heyman, the Mets are considered by some teams to be the favorite to sign Yamamoto. When the right-hander visits the United States later this week, he has the Mets on his list of teams to see, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post on Sunday .Jim Bowden of The Athletic reports that Jed Hoyer, the president of baseball operations for the Cubs, has been “very aggressive” in pursuing elite free agents like Shohei Ohtani and Yamamoto.
Nov. 30: In Yamamoto’s competitive market, are the Mets the favorites?
Big-market clubs from all over the Majors seem to be vying for Yamamoto’s services; the 25-year-old righty is drawing interest.
According to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman in a piece for the New York Post, while we wait to see which of these teams emerges as the front-runners to sign Yamamoto, several rivals see one team in particular as the favorite: the New York Mets.
This comes after an executive stated the Mets were going “full bore” to sign pitcher Shōta Imanaga, another star in Nippon Professional Baseball, and Yamamoto, among others, according to a report by MLB Network insider Joel Sherman for the New York Post on Wednesday.
After trading Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer during the summer, the Mets need at least one more starting pitcher. They have already added former Yankees starter Luis Severino to their rotation (and added Joey Wendle to their infield).
Speaking of the Yanks, Heyman reports that they are also interested in Yamamoto and think they have a “legit shot” at signing him. The Bronx Bombers currently have the Japanese ace and Padres outfielder Juan Soto as their top two targets.
Heyman also claims that the Dodgers, Giants, Red Sox, Phillies, Cubs, Cardinals, D-backs, and Tigers are thought to be participating in the Yamamoto sweepstakes.
Nov. 28: Yamamoto is the top priority for these two teams.
It looks like the Red Sox and Giants are ready to make a big play for Yamamoto. On MLB Network on Tuesday, Boston Globe reporter Alex Speier stated that he anticipates Boston to be “particularly invested in the Yamamoto sweepstakes.”