Yoshinobu Yamamoto Rumors: Dodgers and Mets could be next to make an offer to Japanese ace after Phillies move, per insider
Yoshinobu Yamamoto's sweepstakes are getting intense as teams in contention give their final offers as they look to lure the Japanese ace to their club. After the Philadelphia Phillies were confirmed to make a big, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets now are being reported to prepare their offers.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto's free agency has garnered a lot of attention as almost all big-market clubs have been interested in signing the pitcher. His value as a priced addition to a rotation is so high as he is one of the best pitchers in the world currently. He has been a 3x consecutive Pacific League MVP in the NPB and is expected to produce the same performances in the MLB.
Because of his high posting fees, both New York clubs, the Mets and the Yankees along with the Los Angeles Dodgers remain the favorites. However, other clubs like the San Francisco Giants, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Boston Red Sox have met with the 25-year-old.
Despite signing ace pitcher Aaron Nola, the Philadelphia Phillies too submitted their first offer to Yamamoto and his agent after they met with him in LA. Now reports are coming in that the Dodgers and the Mets will also be submitting their offers soon.
Dodgers and Mets to offer a huge contract to Yoshinobu Yamamoto
As per the LA Times' Jack Harris, a source close to the Dodgers franchise has confirmed that the team is looking to offer a contract ranging from $250 million to $300 million to bring the Japanese pitcher to Dodgers. The Dodgers have already signed Shohei Ohtani and are using him as leverage to lure Yamamoto to pair up with his senior.
As for the Mets, Andy Martino of SNY Network reported that Mets owner Steve Cohen is doing his best to get Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the biggest market in the country. The Mets are reportedly "in the process of making a very serious offer".