Report: SF Giants 'won’t allow another team to outbid them' for NPB star
The SF Giants have already been tied to Orix Buffaloes star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto multiple times this offseason. The Japanese star is expected to be one of the most coveted free agents this offseason. However, according to a recent report by Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic, people throughout MLB believe the Giants are not going to let Yamamoto sign with another team. Baggarly also added that the Giants are in a better comparative position for Yamamoto than they were with Kodai Senga last season, who ultimately signed with the New York Mets.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto throws a pitch during the 2020 Summer Olympics. (2021)
Yukihito Taguchi-USA TODAY Sports
"According to a source familiar with the negotiations, the Giants did not receive a final opportunity to counter New York [Met]'s offer because Senga was keen on joining a Mets rotation that included Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer when the season began. After trading both future Hall of Fame pitchers, the Mets cannot offer that enticement to Yamamoto now. And there’s a sense within the industry that the Giants won’t allow another team to outbid them for his services."
Yamamoto, who is 25, will become available to MLB's market as this season of Nippon Professional Baseball comes to an end. He's expected to be courted heavily by the Dodgers, whose postseason flamed out spectacularly in a clean sweep by the Diamondbacks. While Arizona is not known for massive free-agent spending, they also have a clear need in the rotation and a relatively cheap roster.
Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has just one year remaining on his contract with the team, and will likely lose his job if San Francisco does not turn things around next year. That could be an added motivation to throw caution to the wind this offseason.
Because of the team's generally lackluster reputation in signing big-name free agents, there's been a consensus that despite being heavily reported as contenders in the race to sign Shohei Ohtani and even Yamamoto, they will not be fruitful. But the fact that Zaidi recently flew to Japan to watch Yamamoto pitch in the midst of a managerial search, seems like a strong signal that the Giants are serious about this pursuit.
Yamamoto will become the most coveted international free agent to MLB teams since Ohtani first hit the open market back in 2017. Yamamoto is still only 25 and has been the best pitcher outside of MLB for the past few years. Yamamoto has recorded a 1.82 ERA with 922 strikeouts and just 206 walks in 897 innings pitched with the Buffaloes over the past seven seasons.
Yamamoto arguably has the best command in the world, allowing him to suppress opposing offenses in a multitude of ways. He manipulates the grip on his fastball to generate sink, cut, and four-seam movement on occasion, all of which generally sits in the 92-95 mph range, although he has reached 99 mph. His splitter is generally considered his most devastating pitch and generates consistent swings and misses. He also has a traditional curveball.
It's no secret that the SF Giants have whiffed wildly on their offseason pursuits for the better part of the last two decades. With fan sentiment in the greater Bay Area amongst casual game attenders at an all-time low for many reasons, the team has very little time to right the ship. Signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto this offseason, though, could definitely turn things around.
