Aaron Boone Reveals How Close Yankees Were to Signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto

The New York Yankees skipper discussed the Yoshinobu Yamamoto free agency situation.

Jun 1, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) pitches during the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. | Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

The 2023-24 MLB offseason saw multiple star players sign or get traded to ne w teams. With the New York Yankees landing Juan Soto in a blockbuster deal, there weren't many bigger moves around the league.

Shohei Ohtani signing a mega deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers was also much of the talk in the offseason due to the amount of money they committed to him.

The Yankees and Dodgers have done business in similar ways to help their team win. They both aren't afraid to spend on free agents, make trades, and spend money on international players.

For many reasons, New York and Los Angeles have found plenty of success in the history of each franchise.

The two got into somewhat of a bidding war this past offseason for Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Yamamoto, 25 years old, was viewed as the top international free agent this offseason.

He ended up signing a 12-year, $325 million contract.

The right-hander can run his fastball up in the upper 90s and has great secondary stuff. He's had some great starts mixed in with a few bad ones, but his 3.32 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 65.0 innings pitched show the type of arm he is.

While the Yankees didn't land him, and fans were upset over it, things have worked out for them as it stands. Still, it's interesting to think about just how good this rotation would be if Yamamoto were in it.

According to Dan Martin of the New York Post, there was a time when Aaron Boone and New York thought they were going to land the Dodgers star.

“I felt we were very much in the mix,’’ Aaron Boone said of the Yankees’ pursuit of Yamamoto. “There was never a thought that we were gonna get him or that I didn’t think we were gonna get him.”

As the Yankees get ready to take on Los Angeles in a three-game set in the Bronx starting on Friday night, they'll have the chance to take on Yamamoto.

They've swung the bat at an elite level all season but will be challenged on Friday. Yamamoto, however, might be even more challenged. New York fans will be loud as this is one of the biggest series of the season, and they all certainly remember that he picked the Dodgers instead of the Yankees.