Phillies Can Expect Fast Courtship of Yamamoto

The Philadelphia Phillies should get a shot at speaking to Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto next week — assuming they’re one of the teams interested in speaking to him.

The representatives for Yamamoto have set forth their timeline to determine which team he will sign with, and the first step is either a Zoom call or a phone call with prospective teams next week, per SNY.

The Phillies are reportedly interested in talking with Yamamoto, to the point where some of their big stars, including Bryce Harper, are willing to pitch in an offer to bring the Japanese star to Philly.

At 25 years old, Yamamoto has a 70-29 record. He has a mid-90s fastball, but he is best known for an array of breaking pitches that can befuddle hitters. This season he had just a 1.21 ERA. He also went 16-6 and struck out 169 hitters in 164 innings.

The Orix Buffaloes, his Japanese team, posted him at the start of this week. Yamamoto now has until Jan. 4 to work out a deal with a prospective MLB team, a deal most expect to be more than $200 million, not including the posting fee owed to the Buffaloes.

That’s why the timeline will be quick. The Zoom and phone meetings are expected to take about a week, which will lead into the winter meetings Dec. 4-7.

But don’t expect a decision then, or for Yamamoto to take in-person meetings in Nashville. He’ll be coming stateside, but in-person meetings with the finalists will come after the meetings.

This is likely a calculated move by his agent, Joel Wolfe.

By waiting a little longer for his in-person meetings, Yamamoto and his reps could squeeze a bit more out of the team he signs with.

This is because the winter meetings is typically a time that contracts get done. By then, the teams that are no longer in on Yamamoto will know, and they can pursue other free agents or make trade. The more deals that are made, the more pressure that could apply to the remaining teams pursuing Yamamoto.

There’s good reason to pursue him. Yamamoto has thrown two no-hitters in his career, including one earlier this year. He’s also won gold medals for Japan in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.