Add another name to the Yoshinobu Yamamoto competition list.According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the San Francisco Giants faced the Japanese star on Sunday.This is the latest major market team to meet with Yamamoto in an attempt to secure his services.
The Yankees were scheduled to meet with Yamamoto’s camp on Monday, and Mets owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns recently traveled to Japan to meet with the Orix Buffaloes ace.Yankees general manager Brian Cashman followed Yamamoto closely and flew to Japan in September, where he watched him throw a no-hitter. A number of teams were expected to be in the running to sign Yamamoto, and The Athletic listed the Giants as one of seven teams believed to be “serious” suitors for him. This group also included the Dodgers, Mets, Yankees and Blue Jays.“It’s a huge opportunity for everyone and I’ll leave it at that. But he’s a very impressive and talented player,” Cashman said of Yamamoto at last week’s winter meetings.The Dodgers are still interested in Yamamoto even after signing Shohei Ohtani to a historic $700 million contract on Saturday, although the Mets and Yankees are considered favorites, The Post’s Jon Heyman reported over the weekend. Yamamoto will likely get a huge contract wherever he signs it, which will be “significantly” north of $200 million, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal reported on Foul Territory last week.Considering the accolades Yamamoto has received during his tenure in Nippon Professional Baseball, it’s easy to see why he’s in such demand.Yamamoto, 25, was named Pacific League MVP three years in a row and received the Eiji Sawamura Award as the NPB’s top pitcher. He was 17-6 with a 1.16 ERA during the 2023 season and has a 1.72 ERA and 0.915 WHIP since his NPB debut in 2017.Adding Yamamoto to the Giants’ roster would give them another asset in their rotation besides Logan Webb, who has been in the Cy Young conversation for years and finished second in voting last season.
Leave a Reply