Right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been officially free to negotiate with MLB clubs since last Tuesday, when the Orix Buffaloes posted the star pitcher. The free agent courtship process looks to begin in earnest next week, as SNY’s Andy Martino reported on how Yamamoto and his representatives at Wasserman will approach the decision of picking the righty’s new team.
The first stage is a round of phone calls and Zoom meetings with all of the interested teams. Yamamoto is then expected to arrive in the United States for a series of in-person meetings and further negotiations with however many finalists make this second and presumably last stage of talks. The timeline for these in-person sitdowns is after baseball’s Winter Meetings (December 4-7), which will allow teams a better sense of the pitching market if some other top hurlers are signed or traded in the interim, and allows Yamamoto’s camp that same knowledge as well as perhaps extra negotiating leverage, if remaining suitors are even more desperate for pitching.
Though Yamamoto’s posting window extends until January 4, it “is not expected to require that much time” for the right-hander to decide on a contract, Martino writes. Obviously there’s a lot of fluidity in this timeline depending on how many teams makes Yamamoto’s in-person shortlist and what types of offers end up on the table, but it would tentatively seem like he might have his decision made sometime between mid-December and Christmas Day.
Landing Yamamoto would undoubtedly make for a merry holiday season for any team or fanbase, given all of the hype that has surrounded the 25-year-old’s impending arrival in Major League Baseball. With a 1.82 ERA and a long list of accolades amassed over his seven seasons with the Buffaloes, Yamamoto is one of the most intriguing players to ever make the jump from NPB to MLB, as well as something of a unique free agent in general due to his young age. It is widely anticipated that Yamamoto will earn at least $200MM in his contract (MLBTR projects a nine-year, $225MM deal), and agent Joel Wolfe said earlier this week that 11-14 teams had already been in touch within the first day of Yamamoto’s posting.
Martino also adds a clarification to a statement made by Wolfe earlier in the week, as the agent told Japanese media during a conference call that his client would have no problem playing with another Japanese player. Due to a translation error, this was incorrectly interpreted as Wolfe saying that Yamamoto was prioritizing teams that already had at least one Japanese player on the roster, which isn’t the case.
METS
Come on Cubs. Skip the Ohtani show and sign Yamamoto and Bellinger
Let’s go DD, get it done. Might put an extension for Wheeler and/or Ranger in jeopardy though.
I could be 100% wrong here, but I’d rather have Wheeler.
@gwynning
Proven product at least
You’d rather have the 34 year old Wheeler than the 25 year old Yamamoto?
As MRTH said, proven commodity.
My stipulation- we’re trying to win the Series in ’24.
@Gwynning If that’s the bet, Wheeler’s your guy.
Giants would rather have Beltran
Mets, Yankees or Boston.
This signing will lay the groundwork for Roki, who imo will shatter the record for an international signing.
Sorry, mystery team will swoop in and sign him.
Sorry, highly doubtful.
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Unless you are one of the Mets, Yankees or Red Sox general managers talking to his agent and already know you have a deal.
Why don’t we just call this website “Only major market team” rumors ?
What top free agent has signed with a small market team in recent years? This is just the reality of things.
Even so, I don’t see a single specific team mentioned here.
Machado. Bogaerts.
My – Chris Davis, Cecil Fielder, Edwin Encarnacion, Robinson Cano, Carlos Correa, Carlos Lee, Corey Seager, Stephen Strasburg, Jose Reyes. Bryce Harper, Lorenzo Cain, Matt Holliday, Zack Greinke, Johnny Cueto, Kris Bryant.
All were free agent signings, doesn’t include extensions.
@Fever: A bunch of those you listed were either re-signings or were signed by teams who should not be considered small market (Corey Seager with Texas? Bryce Harper with flipping Philadelphia??). Not sure that fits whatever you’re going for.
Don’t really consider many of the teams mentioned that have signed large FA contacts in the past, yet been on the dole from so called large market owners as so much of a small market. San Diego #1 issue with, Seattle isn’t such a small place either. Detroit may be a shell compared to what it was, but they are an outlier to 2/3 of the so called small market teams getting handouts.
Those teams being able to pay a Cano 200m+ and Machado 300m shows that Fever.
@FPG- Detroit isn’t a small market, it’s the 11th largest media market in the US, so just outside the top 1/3.
Philadelphia is 4th so Harper doesn’t count.
Washington is #9 so Strasburg shouldn’t be listed, plus that was a re-signing so not quite the same thing.
Seattle is a mid-market, but we signed Cano, what, 10 years ago anyway? That wasn’t recent as I stipulated.
Chris Davis was something like the 15th best free agent that year, plus that was just a re-signing, also. No one else was shelling out what Baltimore was to keep him around.
Dallas is the 5th largest media market in the US so Seager being on here is silly.
The media thought Kris Bryant was a top free agent but apparently the league didn’t, as we learned that Colorado repeatedly bid against themselves to lock him down since KB had a very limited market.
Johnny Cueto signed in SF and the Bay area is a massive media market.
Some of the guys you named weren’t even top 10 in their class or were not in recent years.
Regardless, this proves my point. If it takes naming guys from 15 years ago to name 15 players (some of whom don’t even count), then obviously it’s happening pretty infrequently.
Just off the top of my head, Correa to the Twins and Baez to the Tigers
Because, just today, there are articles on Minnesota, KC, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
It’s true. They’re all in on Eduardo Escobar!
i checked the kansas city star … their last artcie on the royals was the trade they and braves had over a week ago. Their last article on mlb was get this on a major market team talking about David Wright. So i guess maybe we need to start talking to these local papers to start talking about their own teams and not major market teams so we can talk about them here.
For relaxing times, make it Suntory time.
*bill murray gif*
You’re going to love San Diego, Yamamoto-san!
Giants need to make this happen
Along with Ohtani
I’m hoping for Yamamoto, Lee, Montgomery
Yamamoto, Lee, & Hoskins would do it for me.
Lee would definitely be big…if we landed him and this Yamamoto dude, that would be huge, possibly make a good case for Ohtani to join. That’s a tall order for one offseason though.
I think we need to lean into pitching on the market while developing position guys if possible
gfan — I’m a co=dreamer with you. THAT would be a great off season.
Not getting any hope up for Ohtani other than driving his price up. I’m feeling the Fodgers on getting him.
So Duck them !
I agree, and either way it’ll be sweet to see that price tag rise up and make them Fodgers pay!
Yankees
yankees please sign him
If the Yankees sign him, he will turn out to be Hideki Irabu II.
“The Fat P&55# Toad” – George Steinbrenner
It’s kind of strange to say on the one hand that “Yamamoto is one of the most intriguing players to ever make the jump from NPB to MLB” and also to describe this same idea as “hype.” So, which is it — most intriguing or highly exaggerated?
I don’t think hype necessarily insinuates exaggeration as much as it does excitement. And excitement and intrigue can co-exist just fine.
Hype doesn’t insinuate exaggeration, it means exaggeration. Describing him as as being hyped means he’s being overrated. No need for word abuse. If a player is an exciting talent, then just say so.
and post hype is under-exaggerated
That’s not what hype means at all. It means intense promotion which can often be exaggerated, but doesn’t have to be.
But it is what it means.
hype
noun (2)
1
: DECEPTION, PUT-ON
2
: PUBLICITY
especially : promotional publicity of an extravagant or contrived kind
The key words being “extravagant OR contrived.” W
noun
noun: hype
extravagant or intensive publicity or promotion.
“she relied on hype and headlines to stoke up interest in her music”
h
Similar:
publicity
advertising
promotion
marketing
puff
puffery
propaganda
exposure
boost
push
fanfare
buildup
plug
plugging
razzmatazz
ballyhoo
a deception carried out for the sake of publicity.
plural noun: hypes
“is his comeback a hype?”
verb
verb: hype; 3rd person present: hypes; past tense: hyped; past participle: hyped; gerund or present participle: hyping
promote or publicize (a product or idea) intensively, often exaggerating its importance or benefits.
“an industry quick to hype its products”
—Which only reminds me it’s been decades since I’ve seen ballyhoo anywhere.
Ballyhoo is a great word, we should hype it more
Balderdash
You beat me to it. It’s an overused word and often to describe something other than what it really means.
I like to use “Razzmatazz” at least 3 times a day in a sentence. Just to razzmatazz people. See what I did there?
Hooey. Flimflam.
Talk, it’s only talk
Arguments, agreements
Advice, answers
Articulate announcements
It’s only talk
Talk, it’s only talk
Babble, burble, banter
Bicker, bicker, bicker
Brouhaha, balderdash, ballyhoo
It’s only talk
Back talk
Talk talk talk
It’s only talk
Comments, cliches, commentary, controversy
Chatter, chit-chat, chit-chat, chit-chat
Conversation, contradiction, criticism
It’s only talk
Cheap talk
Talk, talk, it’s only talk
Debates, discussions
These are words with a D this time
Dialog, duologue, diatribe
Dissention, declamation
Double talk, double talk
Talk, talk, it’s all talk
Too much talk
Small talk
Talk that trash
Expressions, editorials
Explanations, exclamations, exaggerations
It’s all talk
Elephant talk
Elephant talk
Elephant talk
Adrian Belew?
Whoa, dude — you need cut down on the coffee!
King Crimson. Yup, Belew.
I thought Robert Fripp was the founder and main songwriter for King Crimson.
It’s money in the media companies pockets writing these articles for all the “supposedly” interested teams to hype all their fans up to read their articles thinking their team is going to sign him.
Does Mike Elias have Yoshi’s phone number?
Bet money he is coming to the Cards!
Bet!
Ok bet Nootbar and him go way back, he’s already hung out twice with Nootbar in St. Louis and both of their moms are close. Also we are definitely in play for him. Unlike you thinking he’s going to the broke padres lol
We saw what kind of pitchers the Cardinals are signing this offseason already. Expect one more like those two. Giolito maybe.
Because his mother wants it to happen!
Will be a fascinating sweepstakes. So many variables. Quality of organization. How effectively the clubs sell their market attributes. How well the crave to faces go. This is assuming the relative ballpark of $ offered is more or less same tier for each suitor. No clue who will hit the jackpot
Waiting until after the meetings to assess the market and gain leverage on the remaining teams seems like a bold move since his signing was previously expected to set the market. I have a feeling this is going to contribute to a slow winter meetings, at least on the pitching side.
Reds make an offer of minimum salary, plus all the cold water he wants.
I have to start a Reds rumor. Nothing to post in the last week. Cmon and give us at least a rumor we might sign a Double A free agent
@cinredsfan Didn’t they release Votto and are now offering him 1/$4m so he can keep his pool clean?
Obviously he’s signing with the White Sox. We’re known for handing out 200+M deals
Have his favorite foods and drinks spread out on a large pine table upon arrival. Tacos, french fries, spam, iced tea, diet coke, chili cheese fritos…..Have a 30inch flat screen running his favorite Disney movie…Offer to take his shoes off for him and put on some comfy little booties. If he has a gf or wife or whoever, have an intern offer to keep her entertained with a board game perhaps. I would pull out ALL the stops!!!
You had me at tacos, where do I sign?
Gwynning, you would be a very cheap signing my friend haha. I would give you a 10 Taco signing bonus and you could reach thresholds of 10 more via incentives/escalators. Capped at 162 per season…Taco a day is your limit.
At long as they’re Doritos Locos tacos… I’ll sign in blood!
Since you have turned the tables now and are demanding PREMIUM tacos, I’m probably gonna have to pass. You are a good guy though you’ll find a team. Best of luck! The door is to the left!
Pfft, the WiFi sucks baseballs and your clubhouse smells like smelly jockstraps anyway! On to Pittsburgh and Nutting’s superior offer…
Swap out the 30″ flat screen for a 75″ CRT and you’ve got him on the hook.
I’m thinking of just blowing his mind and taking him to “Chuckie Cheese!’ I hope they still have the dancing animatronics!
C’mon Farhan.
Please Red Sox sign him so he could play with his
Former teammate then trade for Soto.
Please Santa please
Soto, your old pal Jay Groome and Grisham for Casas, Bello and Sale. No money either way.
162 ties 9 is 1458 innings of baseball in a season. Toss in some 8 innings games for when you win at home and sprinkle in some extra “runner on second base” innings. Still probably not more than 1500 innings for a team’s pitching staff to hurl. So the new “standard” is maybe 180 innings for the top rotation pitchers? Somewhere between 10 and 15 percent? It’s all about the postseason for the teams that can get there. Then the aces really do matter.
I still say it’s fitting that he plays for the Giants. Just don’t fly over Bougainville on your way there. Good luck Admiral.
Very slim likelihood, but this is the perfect move for the Orioles. Sign him to the long term deal but allow him the opt out or two that he’s reportedly seeking. Having him head the rotation with a continually improving GRod, Bradish and Means and you’ve got a rotation that would be the best Baltimore has seen in a very long time. If you aren’t looking to extend any of the young talent this offseason or next, you spend the money on this guy and could easily acquire another TOR arm via trade (at that point likely becoming the best rotation in baseball) with the extremely deep talent capital present.
Like I said, not likely, but if you are going to spend, this is the guy you want to go after. Only 25 and his stuff should translate quite well in MLB.
Hey All, feel free to use and tweak the boilerplate below for all your future Yamamoto posts 🙂
He should sign with [insert favorite team] because they have the best [insert a thing said team is average at], and he can be friends with [insert name of non-Japanese Asian player here]. Come on [name of GM], make it happen!!!!!
He should sign with the Warriors because they have the best unsportsmanlike players and he can be with his best friend Jonathan Kuminga come on Dunleavy Jr make it happen
Be cool to see the list of teams he has a zoom call with followed by a finalist list. I’m sure mlbtr would be very happy if that happens.
Isn’t he already in the US? Thought he went to the Lakers game the other night
He was at the Lakers game vs the Mavericks on Wednesday night. Courtside seats. Then on Thursday he was in San Diego at Petco Park.
Nah, he was seen last night heading into the Boston Aquarium with his fishing rod.
LMFAO!!!!!!
This explains the rush in getting Nola signed. It was interesting to see the Dodgers float a $160M offer to Nola. Someone, that no one had them pursuing. It probably does mean that there’s a lot of truth to the YY rumors. That he’s open to most situations and that the west coast teams won’t be given to be favorites. They probably anticipated heavy competition for his services and considered Nola as a fallback option. It’ll be interesting to see if he goes for a longer deal, shorter with AAV, or something in between with an opt out.
C’mon mystery team!
Is Yamamoto the best pitcher in baseball?, No! Is Yamamoto the best pitcher on the market,?Yes most likely! Does getting the best free agents mean getting into the world series? No! Starting pitchers are not as dominante as the old days, the best relief pitching wins at the end of games, you won’t see a starter anymore. The Rangers just won piecing together a rotation the whole year.
The Yankees had the best bullpen ERA last year and didn’t even make the playoffs.
I thought once one of the top free agents signed (like Nola 1 week ago) the free agents would go flying of the shelves. So far just Lance Lynn, Reynaldo Lopez, and Kyle Gibson. I’m guessing the teams are waiting for Ohtani and Yamamoto to sign before we see things pick up. The Ohtani sweepstakes would have been really fun to watch had he been able to pitch next year which should hurt his market somewhat.
This is for all the Tigers fans who are in a hurry and want that world series in two years Texas style (not me). Caveat: I have NOT had my first coffee yet this morning and this will NEVER happen!.
Tigers sign Yamamoto, Maeda, Bellinger, R. Stephenson, and trade a package to SD for Machado who is out for a bit (Manning, P. Meadows, Flores and one of Jung or Jobe…ouch). I’d be happy if they also a quired a young SS and sent Baez to the bench. Adds about 100 million to the budget which leaves them at about $170-180 million. Bellinger, Machado, Keith and Malloy add offense and Yamamoto, Maeda and Mize should translate to more wins.
Lineup:
C-Rogers
1b-Torkelson
2b-Keith
SS-Baez
3b-Machado
RF-Carpenter
CF-Bellinger
LF-Greene
DH-Malloy
BENCH-Ibanez, Baddoo, Kelly, McKinistry
SP-Skubal, Yamamoto, Maeda, Olson, Mize/Gipson-Long
BP-Foley, Vest, Stephenson, Holton, White, Lange, Brieske, Faedo
And Canha for the OF/ DH mix. Oops
First machado won’t miss any of the season. The only question about him is if he will need to dh for a bit.
Second machado has a full non-trade clause and loves San Diego so he isn’t waiving it to go to Detroit.
Lastly the padres aren’t looking to move machado.
He has been mentioned in articles as someone with a high salary that they could move to cut costs and as being hurt and not at 100%. I was going by that. I highly doubt they will move him, or like you say that he would move, and this is just a “bored on Sunday” post anyway. None of the things above except maybe signing Maeda and Stephenson are very likely to happen.
Where? No one has said anything about the Padres moving Machado. 1st off, he said he wants a statue next to Tony, he has a Full NTC, and the Padres have no reason to trade him.
I looked and could not find an article so it was probably someone commenting on the articles about the $50 million loan. My bad.
Nice wish list and they got Maeda today. Doubtful that they will outbid the rest of the league on Yamamoto and no way that they get Machado. Love to see someone outbid the Yankees on Bellinger, but don’t think that will happen either.
It’s becoming obvious with each article that he’s not coming here on his own free will.
Yamamoto was seen at the Lakers game on Wednesday and at Petco Park on Thursday. Thinking that his agent was feeding Andy Martino false info.
twitter.com/TalkinBaseball_/status/172773154813528…
youtu.be/YezecxnEqG0?si=iqQQoTzWsqc9_nEo
That can’t be because most people on here told me the padres are broke. I guess they were asking him for a loan once he signs his new deal.
I just posted that above and here you are with links too.
Before Nola re-signed, he was my first choice for the Dodger rotation. Then I read somewhere that Montgomery is probably signing elsewhere too. If a Burns deal doesn’t work out, there’s not much veteran ace pitching to chase anymore so trying for Yamamoto, a rookie, is better than the remaining alternatives if cost isn’t going to be a problem for further acquisitions. The report about him being court side at a Laker game is a sure sign that Magic Johnson, a part owner of the Dodgers, is helping to recruit him. As far as concentrations of Japanese people in the US, there are over 130,000 people of Japanese descent in the Greater Los Angeles Area which is more than the Bay Area, if that is even going to be a deciding factor.
The translation question is odd to me. Why wouldn’t any rookie player from a foreign country welcome an opportunity to have a veteran countryman on his team to help him learn about life in the USA? This kind of thing is probably why Shohei will not do interviews without his interpreter.
How many teams courting Yamamoto have real shot of landing em. Dodgers, yanks maybe if they were in on em. Think Mets n Bosox rumors R agent talk 2 drive up price nothing more.
Red sox have legit intl scouting in Japan..and henry is ready to start spending his billions again..they are in..uncle steve isnt the only billionaire owner
Money wise I think there are plenty. Places he would select prob down to more like…both New York teams, cubs, dodgers, giants, mariners, padres, Red Sox, blue jays, dbacks, rangers. That’s 9 teams with let’s say another team that could always surprise.
Redsox along with Ohtani completes the Japanese Triad at Fenway Park