A Huge Clarification Has Been Issued on Yoshinobu Yamamoto as He Looks For MLB Team
Japanese superstar Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the biggest prize on the free agent market (outside of Shohei Ohtani) and there's been a massive clarification given regarding his preferences this winter.
This past week it was widely reported that Yamamoto preferred to play with a team that already had a Japanese player. Andy Martino of SNY now says the following:
The Yamamoto sweepstakes took a brief turn toward misinformation on Wednesday, when it was widely written and aggregated that the pitcher prefers to play for a team that already has a Japanese player.
In reality, Yamamoto’s agent, Joel Wolfe, said on a call with Japanese reporters that his client -- unlike some Japanese stars -- would have no problem playing with a fellow NPB export. According to one person on the call, a translation issue caused the miscommunication. Wolfe was not saying that Yamamoto preferred or required a team with a Japanese player.
Had this been true, there are only five teams with a Japanese player currently, plus Ohtani, Kenta Maeda and Shintaro Fujinami, who are free agents. This clarification opens up the negotiating to all interested teams again.
The New York Yankees, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox all figure to be involved. While the Los Angeles Dodgers are currently focused on signing Ohtani, it is possible that they could be lurking as well, especially given their need for starting pitching.
The 25-year-old Yamamoto is expected to garner between $200 and $250 million in terms of his contract.
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