Yoshinobu Yamamoto rumors: Mets edge, Red Sox and Giants used, Harper meeting
- Do the New York Mets have an inside edge for Yoshinbou Yamamoto?
- Were the Red Sox and Giants offers to Yamamoto real?
- How Bryce Harper was utilized in Phillies meeting with Yamamoto.
By Mark Powell
MLB Rumors: Red Sox and Giants did not make offers for Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Jim Bowden of The Athletic reported on Sunday that the Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants offered Yoshinobu Yamamoto a contract north of $300 million. On the surface, I assumed this report was used as leverage to convince the teams Yamamoto really prefers -- the Yankees and Dodgers -- to increase their own offers.
However, ESPN's Jeff Passan dispelled any rumors of those contract offers in a tweet on Monday afternoon:
"All the alleged $300M bids for Yoshinobu Yamamoto — that’s inaccurate, sources tell ESPN. Teams have been asked not to discuss terms yet. But that could change today when bidding, sources said, is expected to begin. Now is when Yamamoto's free agency gets real," Passan wrote.
By the time all is said and done, it's fair to expect that Yamamoto will receive a deal over $300 million. Yamamoto has won what amounts to three straight Cy Young awards in NPB. He's only 25 years old and in the prime of his career. If Japanese stars have proven anything in the last decade, it's that the degree of competition is not that much higher in MLB than NPB. Thus, the transition isn't as tough as some executives would assume.
Yamamoto may not be Shohei Ohtani-caliber on the mound. However, he's good enough to lead a rotation, and there are few of those available at the moment.