MLB rumors: Phillies deny trade rumors, Soto talk live, NYC showdown for Yamamoto, more
- Jorge Polanco trade talk
- Luis Severino not coming back to NYY
- Yamamoto will be pursued by both NY clubs
- Juan Soto trade talk not dead
- Phillies shut down a trade rumor right away
By Josh Wilson
Yamamoto will be of interest to both NYC clubs
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is going to be one of the crown jewels of the offseason. Coming over from Japan to play in MLB, Yamamoto is highly sought-after by clubs in need of starting pitching depth. It's never precisely clear what the ceiling is for an international prospect, but Yamamoto projects highly, throwing a no-hitter with MLB executives watching in a playoff game.
When Yamamoto gets posted by the Orix Buffaloes -- which is expected to happen soon -- there are 45 days for him to agree on an MLB contract. According to Andy Martino, both NYC clubs, the New York Mets and New York Yankees, are thought to be in on him. Martino reports that the Queens club would have a tougher time landing him than the Yankees:
Bidding hasn’t even started yet, but the strong early feel at GM meetings from people in the know is that Mets would have a tougher time landing him than Yankees. But both are in https://t.co/ozXIRw8Usf
— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) November 10, 2023
It's been reported that Yamamoto prefers to pitch for a large market, and none would be bigger than that of New York City.
That doesn't guarantee him to land with the Yankees or Mets, however, as a number of professional clubs could throw dizzying financial numbers at him to try to secure his services this winter.
Most interesting is the 45-day timeline Yamamoto has to come to an agreement with a team. If he is posted well before fellow Japanese free agent Shohei Ohtani makes a decision on his own free agency, it's worth wondering how that may impact franchises who are interested in both players but can't afford to sign the duo.
Will they skip out on Ohtani to guarantee they at least get Yamamoto? Or, might they hold out on the time-constrained Yamamoto contract in hopes that they can keep the checkbook open for Shohei?