Boston Honors The Arrival Of $900 Million Ranking Prolific Star To Team…

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the superstar ace from Japan, is getting closer to free agency. The three-time Sawamura Award winner—the Japanese professional baseball equivalent of the Cy Young Award—is anticipated to start considering offers this week, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

The seven teams that Yamamoto is rumored to be seriously considering, along with the likelihood that each will sign him, are listed below.

7. Philadelphia Phillies

With the exception of Shohei Ohtani, the Phillies have already made the largest offseason acquisition of a starting pitcher when they re-signed Aaron Nola to a seven-year, $172 million deal. Even though Dave Dombrowski, the president of baseball operations for the Phillies, is well-known for his extravagant spending, it would be challenging to see him spend what would probably amount to more than $500 million on just two starting pitchers when the team still has a lot of holes in the outfield and bullpen.

There have also only been two Japanese players to ever play for the Phillies. It may not mean anything, but Yamamoto would probably want to play somewhere that has a more robust history and track record with players coming from NPB.

6. Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays have a lot of things they need to improve, but their rotation is not one of them. Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, Jose Berrios and Yusei Kikuchi form one of the best starting groups in the league. Their 2023 starting third baseman Matt Chapman, starting center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, super-utilityman Whit Merrifield and setup man Jordan Hicks are all free agents who have yet to be re-signed.

They need to figure out third base, the outfield and the bullpen before adding to their biggest strength.

5. Los Angeles Dodgers

While the Dodgers do have lots of money to spend thanks to Ohtani’s infamous contract deferrals, a weak rotation and, most importantly, the best player in the world, Ohtani, may end up actually being detriments to L.A.’s pursuit of Yamamoto.

No matter how good he is in Major League Baseball, he’d still be playing second fiddle to Ohtani, both in the United States and back in Japan, if he signed with the Dodgers.

The Dodgers would love to have Yamamoto and cap off what would be one of the best offseasons of all time. However, all of the other teams on this list give him a bigger opportunity to be one of the faces of their franchises.

4. New York Mets

Citing once more Morosi’s report, he declares that he is “done with being on the secondary team” because Yamamoto’s Japanese team, the Orix Buffaloes, was smaller in their region than the Hanshin Tigers. Even with their recent financial infusion from owner Steve Cohen, the Mets are perhaps the most famous intracity “secondary team” in sports history.

Any of the teams mentioned here is prepared to give Yamamoto potentially the biggest pitcher contract in baseball history. Once the money gets this high, Cohen loses some of his appeal and can’t just blow his opponents out of the water.

3. Boston Red Sox

“Full throttle.” That’s how Red Sox ownership described its approach this offseason to improve the team after a disappointing last-place finish in 2023. So far, Boston’s only moves of note have been sending outfielder Alex Verdugo to the Yankees for an assortment of arms and trading for outfielder Tyler O’Neill from the Cardinals.

Japanese players, especially pitchers, have historically found success with the Red Sox. Daisuke Matsuzaka, Hideki Okajima, Koji Uehara and Junichi Tazawa all excelled in Boston and were key contributors on World Series teams, with Uehara even recording the final out in 2013. The Red Sox have a clear starting pitching need, are one of Major League Baseball’s signature teams and can pay. Expect Yamamoto to seriously consider Boston’s offer.

2. San Francisco Giants

Desperation. The Giants need Yamamoto more than any other team on this list needs him. They’ve continuously struck out on signing the biggest names in baseball. First Aaron Judge, then Carlos Correa and now Ohtani, it seems like San Francisco is always one of the finalists but is never able to seal the deal.

An open checkbook and the chance to get the the best player available in one of baseball’s biggest markets are enough to make the Giants one of the favorites to sign Yamamoto.

1. New York Yankees

At this point, Yamamoto’s eventual location in the Bronx practically seems inevitable. There is obviously mutual interest, as evidenced by the Yankees purposefully saving Yamamoto’s favorite uniform number (18, which is typically worn by a team’s ace), Yamamoto personally requesting a second meeting with the Yankees on his most recent East Coast trip, or general manager Brian Cashman witnessing Yamamoto throw a no-hitter in person during a scouting trip to Japan.

For good reason, a lot of people think that Yamamoto will favor the Yankees. If from now on he’s wearing pinstripes, don’t be shocked.