Yoshinobu Yamamoto Sweepstakes Reportedly Down to 7 Teams, Including Dodgers
Japanese pitching sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto is one of the more sought-after free agents on the open market this offseason, and it's expected that a bidding war will ensue for his services.
He is generally seen as the best pitcher to come out of Japan while being only 25 years old, so all of the attention on him makes sense.
He has long been believed to prefer playing in a big market, and possibly also may have a preference for the West Coast. MLB insider Will Sammon of The Athletic is reporting that the sweepstakes for Yamamoto is down to seven teams, including your Los Angeles Dodgers.
"Seven teams, including five known clubs, have emerged as serious suitors for Yamamoto, league sources said. In no particular order, the list is believed to include the New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays and the Mets, plus two more unidentified clubs."
The Dodgers have long been thought of as a serious suitor for Yamamoto, but as of Tuesday, manager Dave Roberts said that he hadn't met with the Japanese pitcher. There is still plenty of time for it to happen, and it likely will happen, given the Dodgers interest.
Sammon also reported that Yamamoto is expected to come to the United States this weekend, likely to meet with the finalists. He will make his decision shortly after.
"Yamamoto is expected to come to the United States this weekend, The Athletic confirmed through league sources."
Landing Yamamoto would give the Dodgers a true front-line ace in their rotation to bolster the starters. He is electric on the mound and would satisfy their need for a top-tier pitcher this winter.
The Dodgers are waiting to see what happens with free agent two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani first before they heavily go after Yamamoto. If Ohtani ends up signing elsewhere, expect the Dodgers to make a fully aggressive push to land Yamamoto.
