NEWSLETTER
Now that he’s officially been posted and can negotiate with MLB teams, it sounds like Yoshinobu Yamamoto is getting no shortage of interest.
The 25-year-old Japanese ace has apparently heard from 10 to 15 teams, according to his agent Joel Wolfe. Moreover, Wolfe told Nikkan Sports that he’s never seen a free agent get this much attention in his 25 years in the business (per Google Translate, of course).
Of particular interest in that article, Wolfe also apparently said that Yamamoto DOES like the idea of playing with other Japanese players, and has no geographic preferences. Of course, it benefits his free agency to say these things, but it’s fun to think about what it could mean if they’re true.
For example … if the Cubs go out and sign Shota Imanaga, Yuki Matsui, and Shohei Ohtani right quick, then boom, together with Seiya Suzuki, they’d instantly have a Japanese All-Star team to welcome Yamamoto! Easy as cake!
I am kinda kidding, but only kinda, since the financial benefits of doing something like this could run well past the billion-dollar cost. Imagine if you made your organization into *THE* stateside baseball team that everyone in Japan’s ravenous baseball culture wanted to follow. Not just in 2024, but think of the long-term benefits.
And, obviously, the baseball side would love it, because a team with all those players would be freaking loaded.
I dream.
Anyway, if Yamamoto winds up looking primarily at teams with a Japanese player presence already, then you’re talking about some of his biggest suitors anyway. In addition to the Cubs (Suzuki), you have the Boston Red Sox (Masataka Yoshida), the New York Mets (Kodai Senga), and the Toronto Blue Jays (Yusei Kikuchi) as among the most notable.
From the article you get the sense that Yamamoto may not make his decision until after the Winter Meetings, and may not even do team site tours/meetings until that time.
