How New York Yankees Made Final Pitch to Yoshinobu Yamamoto

A recent report dove into the bells and whistles the New York Yankees resorted to in an effort to sign Japanese free agent Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

The New York Yankees made as big a pitch as they could to lure Japanese free-agent pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the Bronx last offseason. But general manager Brian Cashman knew it would be an uphill battle as early as a visit to California.

The Athletic did a deep dive into the offseason of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who spent more than $1 billion to lure free agents and make trades to bolster their team for what they hope could be baseball’s next dynasty.

Foremost in that spending spree was the $700 million over 10 seasons the Dodgers spent to sign two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani — $680 million of which will be deferred to the end of the contract.

The Dodgers ended up signing Yamamoto to a deal of more than $300 million, which is the richest deal ever given to a free-agent pitcher.

Early in the process, Cashman, Yankees manager Aaron Boone and pitching coach Matt Blake were at a rooftop restaurant at the Walforf Astroia Beverly Hills on a picture-perfect, sunny Los Angeles day. Cashman said later that he knew the weather would be hard to compete with.

Still, the Yankees got two in-person meetings with Yamamoto, the second of which was in New York City on what Cashman called a “dark, cold, rainy weekend in New York City.”

So, instead of taking Yamamoto to Yankee Stadium, Cashman rented out a suite at a New York hotel that had once been used by pop superstar Taylor Swift. The Yankees also rented out the hotel restaurant and had the meal catered by one of the city’s top sushi chefs.  

The piece also confirmed the earlier reports of the Yankees’ offer — a 10-year, $300 million deal with a higher average annual value than the Dodgers’ 12-year, $325 million deal. The Yankees deal also included an earlier opt-out and more up-front money.

The Dodgers won out.