Fastball

MLB Insider Claims Boston Red Sox Have Made Monster Offer to Yoshinobu Yamamoto

The Boston Red Sox apparently offered Japanese free agent Yoshinobu Yamamoto a $300 million contract offer, according to a new report from Marino Pepén.
Sam Connon|
MLB Insider Claims Boston Red Sox Have Made Monster Offer to Yoshinobu Yamamoto
MLB Insider Claims Boston Red Sox Have Made Monster Offer to Yoshinobu Yamamoto

In this story:

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have reportedly offered free agent starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto a contract worth just over $300 million, according to MLB insider Marino Pepén.

The deal, per Pepén, also consists of multiple clauses and incentives for both Yamamoto and the Red Sox.

Red Sox fans may be wary of Pepén's reporting, considering he insinuated on multiple occasions last winter that shortstop Xander Bogaerts would be returning to Boston. The exact wording of Pepén's reports were technically never proven false, though, despite Bogaerts ultimately joining the San Diego Padres.

To add even more fuel to the fire, Boston's pitching coach Andrew Bailey recently followed Yamamoto on Instagram. The Red Sox reportedly met with the 25-year-old Japanese right-hander earlier this week.

Yamamoto has also taken meetings with the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants. The Toronto Blue Jays have also reportedly shown interest.

Yamamoto is the three-time reigning Pacific League MVP and Eiji Sawamura Award winner, which is given to the top pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball. He has also won three Gold Gloves, four ERA titles, four strikeout titles and a Japanese Series.

The five-time All-Star has thrown two no-hitters in his professional career.

Yamamoto went 17-6 with a 1.16 ERA, 0.860 WHIP and 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings with the Orix Buffaloes in 2023. Since making his NPB debut in 2017, he is 75-30 with a 1.72 ERA, 0.915 WHIP and 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

If the Red Sox were to sign Yamamoto to the kind of deal reported by Pepén, he would instantly become the highest-paid pitcher in franchise history. David Price currently holds that distinction, earning a seven-year, $217 million contract in 2015, while Chris Sale inked a five-year, $145 million deal in 2019.

The last time Boston went all-out for an international free agent of Yamamoto's stature was when they netted Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2006. Including the posting fee, the Red Sox had to spent $103.1 million on Matsuzaka, but the team was surely happy to write the check considering he helped them win a World Series in 2007.

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by LIKING us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

Published
Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer covering baseball for “Fastball on SI.’’ He previously covered UCLA Athletics for On SI’s All Bruins site, and is a UCLA graduate, with his work there as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for On SI’s New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Sam lives in Boston.

Share on XFollow SamConnon
Home/News