Angels Rumors: What are the Halos’ Odds to Sign Japanese Star Yoshinobu Yamamoto?
As the Los Angeles Angels enter the offseason, they have plenty of roster decisions to make. Of course, everything starts with what two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani will do, but the Halos have to figure out how to build the rest of their roster as well.
This starts with building out their starting rotation, and they have a clear need there. But there is one player that should be on the open market that could help the Angels immensely if they were to land him
Japanese star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto is expected to be posted this winter for MLB clubs to sign him, and he could be a real game-changer for the big leagues. He dominated during his time in Japan and is the most highly coveted pitcher to come to America in recent memory.
Right now, the Angels don’t have great odds to sign the right-hander but they sit at 18/1 to land him, according to BetOnline.AG. The Halos have beaten the odds before in landing international talent, so maybe they can pull a rabbit out of their hands once again.
Yamamoto is a true superstar, and his stuff should easily translate over to the MLB. He excels with his control, and it has allowed him to do damage to opposing hitters. But his fastball is the gem that he will be bringing to teams. It blows by hitters and could be a real weapon for him to use.
If they could land Yamamoto, it could help them keep Ohtani as well. The two played together for Team Japan, and it could signal to Ohtani that the Angels are serious about fielding a winning team going forward.
While it remains unlikely that the Angels will be able to outbid teams like the New York Mets, New York Yankees or Los Angeles Dodgers, they can at least do their due diligence on him. He would give the Halos a true ace-level pitcher, and being only 25 years old, there is plenty of time for him to grow with the club.
It should be an interesting offseason for the Angels, and one that could define their future. The Yamamoto watch will be one part of it for the Halos as they try to put themselves back into a spot for contention next season.
