The New York Yankees are seen as favorites to land Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto in MLB free agency, however, they reportedly will have to get through at least two division rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the New York Mets to sign him.
With Shohei Ohtani off the free agent market after agreeing to a massive $700 million deal with the Dodgers, the top player available seems to be Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Despite never throwing one pitch in MLB, teams around the league are salivating at the chance to sign the three-time Nippon Professional Baseball MVP.
One of those interested teams is the Yankees, and the organization reportedly met with the 25-year-old ace on Monday. Rumblings around the team suggest they have a good bit of confidence that they will be able to beat out other contenders, including the Mets, for the Orix Buffaloes star.
New York Yankees in for massive fight with big-market clubs to sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto
If they can achieve their goal, it will be quite impressive because it means they will have beaten out some of the wealthiest and most popular teams in the sport. Along with the Mets, Mark Fiensand of MLB.com reported on Tuesday that not only will Yamamoto be meeting with the Boston Red Sox this week, but he is also set to speak with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Toronto seemed like they might sign Ohtani late last week, however, the Dodgers were able to win the sweepstakes for the biggest contract in North American sports history. They are motivated and have the money to give Yamamoto the $300 million deal he is likely to get.
Related: Risk in New York Yankees trade for Juan Soto got bigger after Shohei Ohtanis $700 million deal
Despite giving out that massive $700 million deal this weekend, Russell Dorsey of Bally Sports claims Los Angeles is still “aggressively pursuing” the pitcher. Ohtani’s contract had a massive amount of deferrals that will see the team pay the majority of the agreement after 2033, so they still have the means to give Yamamoto the huge contract he is expected to receive.
Mets owner Steve Cohen also reportedly flew to Japan two weeks ago to meet with Yamamoto and made a strong first impression.
