It looks like the New York Yankees will soon have another strong pitcher in their starting lineup.
According to Andy Martino of SNY, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a pitcher from Japan, will meet with Hal Steinbrenner and other front office staff members on Monday in Los Angeles. The Yankees “are in a solid position in this sweepstakes.”Yamamoto is widely believed to be the best arm available during this free agency cycle and has been linked to various teams, including the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox ,Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Yamamoto spent the past seven seasons with the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. He was a dominant force in that league, posting a 70-29 record with a 1.82 overall ERA. He went 16-6 in 2023 with a 1.21 ERA and recorded 169 strikeouts.
He took home three Pacific League MVP awards, three Sawamura awards and was named an All-Star five times. He was officially posted by the Buffaloes following the 2023 season and will make his MLB debut in 2024.
The Yankees have been successful with developing Japanese players in the past, with pitcher Masahiro Tanaka and Hideki Matsui serving as recent examples. While rumors existed that those two players would be involved with the meetings, Martino reported those rumors as inaccurate.
Nestor Cortes and Carlos Rodon are seasoned southpaws, and 2023 Cy Young champion Gerrit Cole leads the Yankees starting rotation. By adding Yamamoto, who is right-handed, the squad may be able to return to the postseason and establish themselves as one of the best rotations in the league.
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