The New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers are reportedly among the many teams interested in Japanese import Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and it seems that the large field of suitors filled with many wealthy teams is driving the price to obscene levels.
Outside of Shohei Ohtani, Orix Buffaloes star Yoshinobu is probably the biggest free agent available in this year’s class. That says a lot since he has never played in MLB and National League Cy Young Blake Snell is another pitcher up for grabs this offseason.
On the surface, it seems ludicrous for a foreign player to have a greater demand than an elite pitcher from this past season but when looking at the details, it is not completely unwarranted. The NPB star is only 25 years old and has won that league’s MVP award three times. He has a career ERA of 1.72, a WHIP of 0.915, and only seems to be getting better.
New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers may have to pay $300 million for Yoshinobu Yamamoto
With starting pitching always at a premium, it is not surprising much of the baseball world is interested in the budding superstar.
The list of suitors for Yamamoto reportedly includes the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants. Due to so many rich franchises looking to spend big for his talents, it seems his asking price has now increased to shocking levels.
Some recent estimates suggested Yoshinobu Yamamoto would land a contract in the range of $200 million. However, on Tuesday New York Post MLB insider Jon Heyman claimed executives around MLB believe the final price — including the nearly $40 million posting fee — could reach as high as $300 million for the Japanese pitcher.
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto stats (2023): 17-6 record, 1.16 ERA, 0.860 WHIP, 176 SO, 171 IP
Assuming it is a seven or eight-year deal, that means the 2024 MLB rookie could command a contract that pays him over $35 million a year. The Mets were paying Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander $43 million a piece in 2023 but both are future Hall-of-Famers with multiple Cy Young Awards on their resumes.