Japan’s most valuable ace captured Dodgers and Yankees make moves
The New York Yankees are expected to spend a hefty sum of money to acquire Orix Buffaloes ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 25, who is the biggest name in the Asian market this winter.
MLB.com reported on Aug. 8, “The Yankees are clearly in need of offseason starting pitching reinforcements. Outside of Gerrit Cole, no starter on the team has an ERA+ (league average is 100) above 101. Frank Montas and Luis Severino are now free agents. Carlos Rodon’s first season in the Bronx was riddled with injuries, and Nestor Cortes spent significant time on the disabled list (IL),” he said, predicting that the Yankees will look to bolster their starting pitching.
John Heyman and Joel Sherman reported on MLB Network Insider that the Yankees are considering re-signing Montas, but also have a higher-level target in mind: Yamamoto.
Yamamoto is an elite ace with a career record of 70-29 with a 1.82 ERA and 922 strikeouts in 172 games (897 innings) in Nippon Professional Baseball. This season, he continued his stellar play with a 16-6 record with a 1.21 ERA and 169 strikeouts in 23 games (164 innings), 온라인카지노 winning the four major awards (wins, ERA, strikeouts, and winning percentage) for the third straight year, an unprecedented feat in Nippon Professional Baseball history.
Shortly after the conclusion of the Japan Series, the Orix officially announced that they would allow Yamamoto to post. As a result, major league clubs will be scrambling to sign Yamamoto.
“ESPN’s Buster Olney sees the Yankees as the favorite to land the Japanese ace,”
According to MLB.com. “By all accounts, the Yankees are in for a tough year in 2023, and if you look at the history of general manager Brian Cashman, he’s always had the same reaction whenever he’s been in trouble. He acquires a pitcher because he believes that’s the quickest and most obvious way to make a difference,” he said, explaining why he thinks the Yankees will sign Yamamoto. “I think the Yankees are going to sweep the board in the Yamamoto trade,” he added.
However, the Los Angeles Dodgers are also in the running for Yamamoto. The Dodgers, with their weakened starting rotation, are in need of starting help, and Yamamoto fits the bill. Dodgers president Andrew Friedman traveled to Japan as early as March to check out Yamamoto in person. The Dodgers and Yankees are no strangers to deep pockets. The two leading franchises on the east and west coasts of the continental United States are expected to compete for Yamamoto.
The most lucrative contract for a player to make the jump from Nippon Professional Baseball to the major leagues is Masahiro Tanaka, who signed a seven-year, $155 million deal with the Yankees in 2014. Yamamoto is being talked about for a $200 million deal that would easily surpass Tanaka’s.
“The consensus is that Yamamoto will get at least a $200 million deal,” MLB.com said, adding that “MLB TradeRumors, in releasing its top 50 offseason free agent rankings, projected Yamamoto to sign a nine-year, $225 million deal.”