Yoshinobu Yamamoto is most likely to sign a deal worth $250 million. Besides, the team that signs Yamamoto would have to add a posting fee of more than $39 million to his Orix team in Japan. Yamamoto's price appears to be headed upwards of the $200 million floor previously predicted. He could end up with the second-highest contract for a starting pitcher in history, behind only Gerrit Cole.
'The Post' has reported that the Yankees and Mets are among the teams most interested in taking Yamamoto’s services. Other free-spending teams interested in signing the Japanese superstar are the Dodgers, Red Sox and Cubs, as well as San Francisco, Philadelphia and Arizona.
Yamamoto has won the equivalent of the Japanese Cy Young Award for three years in a row. Earlier he also led Nippon Professional Baseball in wins, ERA and strikeouts in each of those seasons.
Masahiro Tanaka signed a seven-year, $155 million deal and a $20 million posting fee with the Yankees nearly a decade ago. It was the fifth-richest contract ever given to a pitcher at that time. Meanwhile, Ohtani is a free agent for the first time in his major league career. He is most likely to sign a contract of over $500 million, even though he underwent a Tommy John surgery that will prevent him from pitching in 2024.
If reports are to be believed, the Los Angeles Dodgers will try their best to sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto if they cannot ink a deal with Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers are heading into the 2024 season, but they have only one starter in their rotation who threw over 100 innings. He is Bobby Miller.
Other free agents at present include