MLB rumors: What to make of early offer from surprise team for Yamamoto

The Yoshinobu Yamamoto sweepstakes are heating up. After weeks of intense courting from teams across the U.S., the 25-year-old from Japan is officially fielding offers. The reported list of favorites remains — Yankees, Mets, Dodgers — with several other teams also in the mix.

According to Matt Gelb of The Athleitc, the Philadelphia Phillies have made an offer to Yamamoto — the first reported team to actually place a bid for the coveted right-hander. Yamamoto never physically visited Philadelphia and it's unclear whether he is actually interested in the Phillies, but president Dave Dombrowski and owner John Middleton have never shied away from expensive star investments.

The Phillies have increased their scouting presence in Japan in recent years and want to continue spreading into the Asian marketplace. Philadelphia is not expected to place the highest bid, so we can effectively remove them from the list of realistic contenders for Yamamoto's services. But, to be the first team to place an offer is noteworthy. At the very least, it sets the stage for a hectic week of free agency.

Phillies place initial bid for Yoshinobu Yamamoto as hot stove reaches boiling point

The Yankees, Dodgers, and Mets are all expected to contend more seriously for Yamamoto. The Red Sox and Giants are also on the periphery here, and Boston appears especially desperate to add a marquee name. That said, all signs point to Yamamoto either joining the team he grew up rooting for (Los Angeles) or pitching on baseball's biggest stage (New York).

The Mets and Yankees both met with Yamamoto in person, twice. The Phillies, for example, never hosted him at Citizens Bank Park and had Bryce Harper dial in on FaceTime, rather than courting the curveball maestro to the City of Brotherly Love.

In his meeting with the Dodgers, Yamamoto was faced with Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, and Bobby Miller. Quite the collection of talent, especially for an ideally located team that Yamamoto grew up idolizing. The Dodgers are rumored to be preparing an offer between $250 and $300 million. If the Phillies aren't the highest bidder, it will be in no small part due to the financial restrictions imposed by long-term contracts owed to Harper, Trea Turner, and Aaron Nola. We can probably assume Philadelphia won't be breaking the widely speculated $300 million threshold.

From the outside looking in, it would appear the Phillies' pursuit of Yamamoto is more emblematic than anything else. It's a sign of their desire to break into the Japanese market and court more players from across the Pacific. As Ken Rosenthal put it for The Athletic — "[it is] symbolic of their heightened attempts to establish a foothold in Asia."

The Phillies could pivot to Yamamoto's WBC teammate, Shota Imanaga, if (when) the 25-year-old decides to sign elsewhere. While Philadelphia would undoubtedly love for Yamamoto to say yes and sign the dotted line, it's a bit foolish to think that might happen. Never say never in the MLB, but the Phillies are in it to make a point — not to actually sign him.

Expect more competitive offers from the Yankees, Mets, and Dodgers to follow in the hours and days to come. Yamamoto has until Jan. 4 to decide on his MLB home.