Yoshinobu Yamamoto is coming to the United States to meet with teams, including the Yankees, on Monday, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network. It’s a significant development in the free-agent’s sweepstakes, but Mets owner Steve Cohen preferred to go to the 25-year-old star himself.
Accompanied by president of baseball operations David Stearns, Cohen flew to Japan to meet with Yamamoto last week as his club eyes the three-time Sawamura Award winner to top their rotation beginning in 2024.
It’s a clear indication that they are still very much in the thick of it after Morosi committed the Mets from his report as one of the top candidates, listing the Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Source: Yoshinobu Yamamoto is expected to meet with the Yankees in the U.S. on Monday.
The Yankees are seen as one of the top candidates to sign Yamamoto, along with the Red Sox, Giants, Dodgers, and Cubs. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 6, 2023
Last week, it was revealed that the Queens club was going all out for both Yamamoto and his fellow Japanese compatriot, Shotan Imanaga, as they attempt to revamp a starting rotation that is trending toward becoming a six-man unit.
After trading away Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer at the trade deadline, New York entered the offseason with just Kodai Senga and Jose Quintana as legitimate starters while Tylor Megill, David Peterson, and Joey Lucchesi could potentially battle it out for a bottom-of-the-staff spot.
The Mets brought on Luis Severino on a one-year, $13 million deal last week to add another arm, but a true No. 1 is needed — and Yamamoto certainly provides the promise of that. Winning three NPB MVP Awards along with his Sawamura honors, the right-hander posted his finest professional season yet in Japan, posting a 1.16 ERA to lower his career mark to 1.72.
Such a buzz forecasts a deal of at least eight years and $200 million, though a bidding war could ensue when several big-market clubs lock horns but ultimately would favor Cohen and the Mets.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is already wary of Cohen, saying on Wednesday that “I don’t think anyone can compete with Steve Cohen.”
