The New York Mets may have a secret weapon in 2023 MLB free agency if they make a serious pursuit for Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The 2023 MLB season for the New York Mets has been a resounding disappointment. After winning 101 games last season, the team was unofficially out of the playoff hunt by August. It has been a shocking turnaround for a team that had lofty aspirations heading into the season. However, despite the awful play of many of their top talents, there has been one clear bright spot: Pitcher Kodai Senga.
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The Mets’ signing of the former Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks star got lost in the shuffle among their offseason moves after adding reigning American League Cy Young Justin Verlander and pursuing star shortstop Carlos Correa. However, in 2023 he has been one of the few consistently reliable players on the roster.
The 30-year-old earned All-Star honors this season as he has won nine games, pitched to a 3.30 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and tallied 149 strikeouts in 122.2 innings. Considering his success in his debut season — and the teams need to fill some rotation spots after trading Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer — it shouldn’t come as a surprise the organization is reportedly interested in the next great Japanese pitcher that will be available.
New York Mets record (2022): 55-66
Orix Buffaloes star Yoshinobu Yamamoto is expected to be available in free agency this winter and New York has already been deep into scouting the 25-year-old. The organization already has a leg up because general manager Billy Eppler has developed a reputation around the league for recruiting Japanese stars after landing Senga last year and helping the Angles sign Shohei Ohtani six years ago.
But it seems the team also has an ace in the hole with Senga. The Mets ace has actually known Yamamoto for several years and he told the New York Post on Thursday he expects the pitcher to reach out to him about transitioning to MLB.
“I know there’s a difference between Japan and here, regardless of what team you go to, and whatever he asks me I would like to point him in the right direction,” Senga said. He believes Eppler is an important asset in the pursuit since he understands how to interact with Japanese athletes, but he would also be willing to sell Yamamoto on the welcoming New York Mets locker room.
“Everybody on the team is such a great teammate,” Senga said. “I personally am not a very fluent English speaker, but everyone welcomed me with open arms and tries to communicate and I think that would be the same with any other Japanese player if he came to the Mets. I think he would be a great fit and the whole team would welcome him.”
Senga signed a five-year, $75 million deal, and a similar deal for Yamamoto would be preferable for a team not looking to hand out another massive contract this winter.