A decision on the destination of Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (25)
who was selected as a special offer in the free agent market following Shohei Ohtani (LA Dodgers), appears to be imminent. 바카라사이트닷컴
On the 20th (hereinafter referred to as Korean time), reporter Alex Spier of the Boston local media ‘Boston Globe’ posted on his SNS about Yamamoto’s destination decision, saying, “I can see the finish line.”
Reporter Spire also wrote in the article, ‘Yamamoto is dominating the Major League offseason. A decision appears to be imminent.
The 45-day window to reach an agreement with major league clubs is open until January 4 (Korean time).
Yamamoto, who recorded 16 wins and 6 losses this year, with an ERA of 1.21, a strikeout rate of 27%, and a walk rate of 4%, and who won the Sawamura Award for the best Japanese professional baseball player for three consecutive years, is receiving offers from many teams.
He went on to explain, “Yamamoto’s combination of age and talent means he could be offered a historic contract size,” and added,
At the start of the offseason, we thought he would sign a contract worth around $200 million
but his skills and the charm of his relatively young age have changed.” has raised the bar considerably.
If you combine the posted transfer fee and guaranteed salary, the final amount will be well over $300 million.’
The media compared him to 2023 Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole (New York Yankees).
Cole became the highest-paid pitcher in history when he signed a nine-year, $324 million contract with the New York Yankees in 2020.
The media added, ‘Yamamoto is four years younger than when Cole signed with the Yankees.’
The media currently reports that the New York Mets, New York Yankees
LA Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays, and Philadelphia Phillies have held in-person meetings.
The Boston Red Sox are also one of the big market teams that traveled to LA last week and had a face-to-face meeting,’ he explained.
In order to win Yamamoto’s heart, the club’s high-ranking officials, coaching staff, and players all rolled up their sleeves.
The Dodgers, who recruited Ohtani, had a meeting with Yamamoto and the MVP trio
including Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman, showed up to persuade him to “let’s play together.”
New York Mets owner Steve Cohen stepped forward. Team owner Cohen went directly to Japan last month to negotiate with Yamamoto, and recently invited Yamamoto to his house for dinner.
The entire leadership and coaching staff showed up
including general manager David Stearns, manager Carlos Mendoza, and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner.
The Mets are all in on signing Yamamoto.
In the case of the New York Yankees, owner Hal Steinbrenner and general manager Brian Cashman flew to LA to meet with Yamamoto and later invited him to New York to meet him for the second time.
We met twice in a week and poured our utmost sincerity.
In the case of the Philadelphia Phillies, a video call was held with MVP and team star Bryce Harper during the presentation with Yamamoto.
The club’s best player stepped up to provide support.
In addition, only the progress of the negotiations was known, and nothing was known about what conditions Yamamoto wanted.
The Boston Globe’ said, ‘The two teams in New York are seen as frontrunners for Yamamoto’s contract, while Boston is seen as a dark horse.
However, there is no direct information about what Yamamoto prioritized when choosing a team and what type of contract offer was made.
There is only speculation without information,” he explained.
As the recruitment competition heats up, rumors are also appearing.
Jim Bowden, a columnist for the North American sports media ‘The Athletic’, said, ‘Yamamoto is the free agent player most clubs look for.
I heard that his value was between $200 million and $220 million when the market opened, but then rose to $230 million to $250 million, and is now close to $300 million.
It’s rare to see a player who is the best pitcher in the rotation at the age of 25,” he said
adding that Boston and San Francisco had offered him a contract worth more than $300 million.
However, ‘ESPN’ reporter Jeff Passan said on the 19th, ‘Sources said all claims that Yamamoto was offered $300 million were inaccurate.
The team negotiating with Yamamoto has been asked not to discuss terms yet.
However, things will change when the bidding starts today,” he said. “Negotiations on Yamamoto’s free agent contract will now begin.”
The ‘Boston Globe’ predicts that after Yamamoto’s destination is decided, the contracts of other pitchers’ free agents will also speed up.
The media said, ‘We are eagerly awaiting Yamamoto’s decision because his presence has slowed down the flow of other pitchers’ markets.
As teams chasing Yamamoto turn their attention elsewhere, there will also be interest in other top free agent pitchers such as Blake Snell
Jordan Montgomery, and Shota Imanaga, as well as trade candidates such as Dylan Seeds (Chicago White Sox) and Shane Bieber (Cleveland Guardians).
It will increase,” he explained.