Yoshinobu Yamamoto officially posted: How should Yankees feel about their chances?
NEW YORK – Start the bidding on Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Beginning at 8 a.m., EST on Tuesday, the Mets, Yankees and MLB’s other 28 clubs can conduct negotiations for Yamamoto, the star Japanese right-hander.
According to MLB.com, notification of Yamamoto’s posting by the Orix Buffaloes was delivered Monday, giving interested MLB teams a 45-day period – until Jan. 4, 2024 – to talk terms.
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Armed with a devastating splitter and curveball, with pinpoint control of a wide arsenal, Yamamoto has posted a career 1.82 ERA over parts of seven seasons in the Nippon Professional Baseball League.
Yamamoto is a three-time winner of the NPBL’s Eiji Sawamura Award, roughly the equivalent to MLB’s Cy Young Award. He captured a pitching triple crown in 2023, leading the league in wins, strikeouts and ERA.
Given the deep pool of interested clubs, Yamamoto, 25, could expect to field multi-year offers in excess of $200 million, as widely speculated throughout the industry.
As a fee for posting Yamamoto, Orix would receive a percentage based on the contract Yamamoto ultimately signs with his new team.
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Along with the two New York clubs, the list of potential Yamamoto suitors is lengthy, including the Dodgers, Giants, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Cubs, Cardinals, Phillies, Rangers and Mariners.
Scouting the right-hander in Japan, Yankees GM Brian Cashman was in attendance this summer when Yamamoto pitched his second career no-hitter.
Nine years ago, the Yankees signed Japanese ace Masahiro Tanaka to a seven-year, $155 million contract. Last year, the Mets signed Kodai Senga to a five-year, $75 million deal, and both New York clubs could be aggressive bidders in a competitive field.
Despite a payroll heavy with suspect contracts to underperforming veterans - including Giancarlo Stanton (owed $98 million through 2027) and Carlos Rodon (who signed a six-year, $162 million free agent deal last winter), the Yankees should have incentive to become big spenders this winter.
The pursuit of big-ticket items such as Yamamoto, free agent outfielder Cody Bellinger, and fellow impact left-hitting trade target Juan Soto is the quickest way to spin out of a fourth-place finish in 2023, with the Yankees failing to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Yoshinobu Yamamoto posting: Yankees a favorite for pitcher?
