Aaron Boone optimistic about Yankees' chances to land Yoshinobu Yamamoto: "I feel quite confident that he is going to come over here"
Unsurprisingly, the New York Yankees are aggressively pursuing Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Yamamoto is the top starting pitcher in the free agency market and has dominated the Nippon Professional Baseball League for the last three years.
General Manager Brian Cashman has scouted Yamamoto a handful of times this and was in attendance for his no-hitter last season. They like what they see in the Japanese flamethrower and see him as a game-changer.
Yamamoto has had a sub-two ERA in his last three seasons while throwing over 160 innings. He would look great next to somebody like Gerrit Cole, and manager Aaron Boone feels good about his team's chances:
"I feel quite confident that he is going to come over here" said Boone.
While Yoshinobu Yamamoto has a ton of teams after him, the Yankees manager feels good about where his team stands. Signing Yamamoto would be a huge success for the Bronx Bombers this offseason:
"Yeah. I think he probably would, yeah" said Boone when asked if Yamamoto would look good in the iconic pinstripes.
Aside from his presence on the mound, his age sets Yamamoto apart. He is 25 years old, which is rare to find on the open market. He is still developing and can become even better than he is right now.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is not the only player on the Yankees' radar
While Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the Yankees' top priority this winter, it is not the only move they are expected to make. They have been named in a potential trade for San Diego Padres outfielder Juan Soto.
They have a hole in the outfield, with Jasson Dominguez expected to miss the 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. They have also been tied to free-agent outfielder Kevin Kiermaier.
However, they may have fixed their hole in the outfield with a trade they made on Tuesday with the Boston Red Sox. The Bronx Bombers acquired Alex Verdugo in exchange for Richard Fitts, Greg Weissert and Nicholas Judice.
Despite this move, they are still being tied to Soto. It will be interesting to see if the Padres and Yankees get any closer regarding that trade.
It will be a busy winter for the front office as they try to put together a competitive team for the 2024 season. While offseason moves are starting to heat up, expect the Bronx Bombers to be significant players on the market.