MLB Analyst believes Yankees need to land multiple stars to be winners again: "It's gonna take a lot more than Yamamoto"
Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto's posting in the MLB market has begun and the 25-year-old right-handed sensation is in the New York Yankees' radar, among several other teams. However, MLB Insider Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic believes that it will take a lot more than Yamamoto to make the Yankees title contenders again. The New York side proved over last season that they are offensively too dependent on Aaron Judge and experts agree that they need to make reinforcements to their offense to remedy the situation.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto made his professional debut in the Nippon Professional Baseball League for the Orix Buffaloes and has grown to be one of the best pitchers in Japan. He has won the Pacific League MVP twice in the last three years and also won the Japan Series title in 2022. He has now been posted to the MLB and both the New York Yankees and the New York Mets are the favorites to sign him in the next 45 days.
While Yamamoto will undoubtedly be a good addition to any bullpen in the MLB, the Bronx Bombers could use a young arm to reinforce their disappointing pitching last year. However, MLB Analysts in the SNY Network argued that the New York side needs to land a big name in their offense to be taken seriously in the MLB again. Grett Ghiroli of The Athletic said that while Yamamoto would be a good move, the New York side need at least a couple of big names if they want to be title contenders next year:
"It's gonna take a lot more than Yamamoto for people to change their perception of the Yankees. Right now, their perception isn't great."
Can the Yankees actually land Yoshinobu Yamamoto?
While MLB experts discuss whether the New York Yankees need other players than just Yamamoto, they will face plenty of competition to sign the pitcher. While it's true that the New York side is among the frontrunners for the pitcher, their attention may be focused more on their offense.
Hence, it is very likely that they miss out on the second biggest free agent in the market after Shohei Ohtani. Yamamoto has generated interest from the New York Mets and the Boston Red Sox as well, with both equally capable of landing the 25-year-old. While Ohtani may be grabbing all the headlines, Yamamoto's signing would mean a huge deal to any team in the league.