Where the Yoshinobu Yamamoto market stands: 5 potential fits, 1 dark horse

Blue Jays are a dark horse for Yoshinobu Yamamoto

The Blue Jays have had a rough last seven days. They went from thinking they had a real shot at Shohei Ohtani to seeing reports that he was signing with the team, only for the superstar two-way player to sign with the Dodgers.

What’s clear is that the Blue Jays have money to spend. Their offer to Ohtani was said to be competitive. But how they spend that money now is uncertain. Do they spend it on a hitter such as Cody Bellinger or Matt Chapman, with Bellinger fitting the power left-handed bat they’ve sought? Or do they spend it on Yamamoto, who would be a dominant frontline starter in a powerful American League East?

What’s certain is that missing out on Ohtani stings. But Toronto is a desirable place to play and considering how competitive the team is, that sting should not linger over the team the entire offseason.

San Francisco Giants would love to finally add their star

The Giants have had their eyes on star players in recent offseasons, swinging and missing on Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. They did agree to a massive six-year contract with Jung Hoo Lee this week, however, and there are indications the team is not done.

Yamamoto appears firmly on their radar.

What’s uncertain is what Yamamoto thinks of the Giants. As Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported and longtime catcher Buster Posey said, some free agents have concerns with the city of San Francisco. It’s been a real issue in pursuing other high-end free agents and could be something the team deals with in future offseasons as well.