As the eight remaining MLB teams compete for the World Series in the MLB playoffs, the rest of the clubs across the league are preparing for the offseason. With Shohei Ohtani sidelined by elbow surgery, Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be one of the most coveted players this winter.
Yamamoto, who turned 25 in August, is one of the best baseball players outside of the United States. Standing at 5-foot-10, the righty is responsible for a 1.94 ERA with a 62-26 record in his career with the Orix Buffaloes. He’s also a two-time MVP and three-time ERA champion.
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto stats 2023: 1.16 ERA, 176-28 K-BB, 0.86 WHIP in 171 innings pitched
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After dominating in Nippon Professional Baseball since 2017, Yamamoto is now poised to come over to the United States. The Buffaloes will post him for MLB teams to bid on in December and there will reportedly be a massive bidding war for his services.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Mets, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs all heavily scouted Yamamoto. However, the Mets could be his highest bidder.
“Word going around is the Mets might be high bidders for coveted Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Every big-market team has been tracking the two-time MVP, but a couple rival GMs say they hear the Mets are expected to go big.”
Jon Heyman on Japanese starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Yamamoto is arguably the best pitcher available in free agency. Only 25 years old, he’s significantly younger than NL Cy Young candidate Blake Snell and offers better stuff than Philadelphia Phillies ace Aaron Nola.
While there’s always a difficult transition for players moving from the NPB to MLB, Yamamoto is a five-time All-Star selection in Japan and is viewed as a potential front-line starter in an MLB rotation. As a result, he could become one of the highest-paid MLB pitchers in 2024.
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In 2014, the Yankees signed Japanese starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka to a seven-year contract worth $155 million. He was 25 years old at the time, with New York facing competition from the Cubs, Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Yamamoto should easily surpass Tanaka’s contract and step in as a front-line starter with whichever team he signs with. Once that happens, he’ll likely be the favorite to win Rookie of the Year in 2024.