Yankees hold second meeting with Yoshinobu Yamamoto amid interest and offers from other clubs;
Yamamoto’s contract could break Gerrit Cole’s record as a starting pitcher; The Bombers maintain interest in Cody Bellinger and Dylan Cease. We’ve received numerous updates on Yoshinobu’s free agency over the past 48 hours, as it appears the lottery to land the NPB ace is entering its final phase. Martino says the Yankees are “cautiously optimistic” about their chances of signing the 25-year-old, although they will face stiff competition with at least a half-dozen teams pushing for the best starting pitcher on the free agent market. The Mets apparently entered the conversation given Steve Cohen’s vast wealth, with Yamamoto attending a dinner at the Mets owner’s private home. In response, the Yankees hastily arranged a second meeting with the pitcher to reaffirm their commitment to putting him in pinstripes, a meeting that has since been confirmed as requested by Yamamoto himself. It’s no wonder the Yankees have been pushing hard to sign the Eiji Sawamura Award winner (NPB’s Cy Young Award equivalent) in each of the last three seasons, given the way the rotation has lagged l Last year Gerrit Cole collapsed. If their pursuit is sincere, they should be willing to spend a lot of money and maybe even a record deal for a starting pitcher as a free agent. That’s because recent reports suggest that both the Giants and Red Sox have made offers in excess of $300 million, and a bidding war could easily push his final contract beyond the nine-year, $324 million deal that Gerrit Cole he signed with the Yankees. At just 25 years old, Yamamoto would have five to six more years in his prime than the other names at the top of the free agent starting pitching market, which is the primary factor pushing his costs near, if not above, levels record. Despite adding Juan Soto, Trent Grisham and Alex Verdugo via trade, the Yankees are reportedly still keeping an eye on Cody Bellinger. Leitch ranks the Bombers as the second-most likely landing spot for the former MVP, putting the Blue Jays at the top of his list of suitors. Toronto missed out on both the Soto and Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes, leaving Bellinger as perhaps the best remaining option to improve their offense. Leitch believes the Yankees still make sense as an offense, as Soto and Verdugo arrive on expiring contracts, and Bellinger would save Aaron Judge from having to play center field. Only one team can sign Yamamoto, leaving all other rejected suitors one less option to bolster their rotations. He’s not surprised that some of the top starters on existing contracts have seen their names float in trade rumors, including Corbin Burnes, Shane Bieber and Dylan Cease. Cease is the name generating the most buzz right now, with Ken Rosenthal reporting that the Yankees have joined the Orioles, Reds, Giants, Braves and Rangers as teams pursuing the 27-year-old. White Sox general manager Chris Getz claimed his team would “step back” from including Cease in trade talks, although it was likely a tactic to drive up his price given the anticipation of the team to sign Yamamoto while waiting to increase demand in the network market. The asking price for the 2022 Cy Young finalist would have been four of the Reds’ top 11 prospects in discussions between Chicago and Cincinnati bosses during the Winter Meetings.
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