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
Are we sure he wants to go and compete for 3rd place in a division?
Ohtani did.
And that was a successful blueprint for all subsequent posted players to look forward to, right?
Ohtani also signed as an amateur.
Howie Rose, NYM radio broadcaster, recently hinted at some Ohtani news. I could see Cohen all in on Ohtani and Yamamoto with Senga already there. Ticket sales would boom during this “retooling” year and the Mets would be competing for the division in 25, with Ohtani in the rotation. It’s an insane stretch, but with Cohen, it’s possible.
They are competing next year if they sign both. They would be moving all in at that point.
Howie doesnt know what hes talking about..with ohtani hea just guessing
Even with both, I see them as a 3rd place team because that rotation is very weak. Once you add Ohtani to the rotation, that’s another story. I also think their bullpen, outside of Diaz, needs a lot of work.
You are probably right, but Howie normally doesn’t say things like that. It was rather surprising to see him jump on rumors like that. Not his style.
286 million on the books still. Only tool in the room is Cohen
VPH, Since Cohen took over he talked about winning the World Series 3-5 years out, yet he clearly was trying to win immediately. He simply wanted an excuse if they failed. They did. He’s doing it again with the “retooling” language. When he gave Scherzer and Verlander $87MM a year combined, he was going for it all. If he gives Ohtani and Yamamoto deals totaling 3/4 of a billion, he’s going for it all. He should just own it instead of pointing to the future when it’s clear he wants to, and is trying to, win it all now. If he adds those two, he’ll add other pieces too.
When did Cohen say the Mets were retooling?
That eliminates the Yankees too.
That eliminates the Cardinals too.
mo promised an ace and 2 pitchers. still no ace YET
@DarkSide830: “Are we sure he wants to go and compete for 3rd place in a division?”
You could have said the same thing about the Rangers the last few years. Then they signed Semien, Seager, deGrom, etc and won the World Series. Money governs most free agent signings, and all of the fan hand-wringing about the Mets and their place in the division is overblown.
The last few years, you also could have said “Does Max Scherzer want to go and compete for 3rd in the division? Does Verlander??? Does Diaz? Does Senga?” etc etc and then they signed them all. Mets will be players for Yamamoto simply because they’re willing to spend crazy amounts of money.
Well, sure, he might sign with the Mets of they outbid by a margin, but their FO’s messaging since the deadline has me doubting that will happen.
@DarkSide: You’re right, of course. I think Stearns on his own probably wouldn’t have a big signing like Yamamoto in his overall plan/direction, but for something like that, I think Cohen is a major influence. If Cohen says “get me starting pitching at any cost”, I would have to think Yamamoto is at the top of Stearns’s list.
Front office messaging from the deadline? The front office has been in place for about a month.
Will they outbid the Dodgers? They are saying LA got the green light to go hard. Not sure the cold weather will be a factor for NYM or not. I guess money talks BS walks
Kyatt, I’ve read that also that ownership has given Friedman the “green light to go hard”. Seeing how they got burned by Bauer and their history of not signing pitchers long term, I’ll believe when I see it.
Other than Betts & Freeman they don’t sign anyone long term.
They didn’t get burned by Bauer, quite the opposite.
🙁 🙁
I think something important that many people seem to be forgetting is that winning the division clearly means absolutely nothing. Have you seen the teams advancing in the playoffs the past few years? All you have to do is get in to have a shot. Regular season record is irrelevant. So what if they DO finish in third? The Marlins were third and still made the playoffs. It’s a lot easier to get in now and once the playoffs start all it takes is a small hot streak. All of the division winners haven’t really made that accomplishment look significant lately. Unless your owner is John J. Fisher then your team has a shot. This is a new league now.
I remember when players used to sign with teams to actually make them better. Now it’s all about how can the team make the player better (analytics, personnel, etc.).
Some of these players need to look in the mirror sometimes when asked about why their teams aren’t winning.
He’s an enticing SP, but the Mets won’t be serious contenders for at least another two years (ie 2026), and that’s if several of their farmhands pan out. As is, they don’t have even one obvious triumph from the quartet of Alvarez, Mauricio, Vientos, and Baty. Alvarez had an okay season, but he hit an abysmal .187 from May 28–Oct 1, with an SLG of .399. He was awful. A 21 year old that gassed, THAT early? That’s bad!
Not to mention Little Acuna completely collapsed in AA after the trade. Doesn’t mean he won’t turn it around, but he’s a 50 FV prospect for a reason, not 60 or 65.
Payroll is $275m for LT purposes in 2024. For a team that currently projects prior to any FA signings for 68-70 wins, that’s horrible. Worse than horrible.
Granted YY is just 25, but he’ll be 27 by the time it’ll matter. But—is an SP who can pick his contender really going to sign with the dysfunctional Cohen Mets? No. Is YY going to care that Stearns is there to try to turn it around? No. He’ll see a 75 win team that dealt 6-7 of those wins at the 2023 Deadline.
The Mets aren’t contending (at least, not intentionally) in 2024 because Cohen is not going to send payroll to $500 million including taxes just to take a shot at 85 wins.
As for their future, Fangraphs has the Mets’ farm ranked #7, but remove Mark Vientos (also FV 50) from the list and they’re now tied for 14th with Detroit. It’s going to take 2-4 years for that farm to mature. 2024 is not their year and YY’s not young to be worth signing in the hopes that the Mets are respectable by the time he’s 27 or 28 or 29.
He’s not signing there, anyway. Would you? Of course not.
That’s probably the best answer I’ve ever seen anyone give in my decade+ reading this blog.
I hope you’re wrong, Strawb. You may not be, but he’s worth having for 5 or 6 years. And young guys can turn it around fast. They might not, or maybe only one or two do, but that can make a difference quickly. I’m waiting to see how the entire off-season turns out. LGM!
@Huck: Well, one thing he’s definitely wrong about is this:
“2024 is not their year and YY’s not young to be worth signing in the hopes that the Mets are respectable by the time he’s 27 or 28 or 29.”
There’s a zero percent chance 25 year old Yamamoto is wondering if he’ll be too old by the time “the Mets are respectable”. That’s laughable. The Mets won 101 games a year ago and even in an absolute disaster of a season still finished only six games below .500. They get Diaz back and depending on their FA signings this offseason could be an 80-85 win club in 2024, supposedly a rebuilding year. It depends on how you define “respectable” but they have a solid young core, a very good farm system, and an owner willing to spend.
The idea that a guy who is probably going to sign an 8+ year deal is worrying about being on an instant contender vs. a team who is planning for 2025 and beyond is a bit nutty. If all offers are very similar, then it’s a consideration for sure but YY will likely take the highest offer regardless of where it comes from. Cubs, Giants, Dodgers, etc, even the lowly Mets.
I disagree with the Mets farm being good outside of Gilbert
I’m shocked that’s true considering it’s a three hour flight from LA to Chicago
2 years ago no one would have said the Mets were a 100 win team and one year later they’re considered a team that won’t contend for 2 more years- based on what? They have a strong offensive core. They need starting pitching which is what YY would help address and Philly is getting older and losing players. The generally idea that the Mets always just compete for 3rd place doesn’t make any sense. They had a bad year, both of their top free agent starters were hurt in the first half of the year and then they were dealt at the deadline when the team didn’t perform. Every year isn’t a disaster in NY, they had a bad year and underperformed and had an inordinate amount of injuries to Verlander, Max, Diaz, Quintana, Marte and bad performance from Alonso for most of the first half and Carrasco was horrendous coming off a decent year. Bad combination of things.
The pitching, which was really what got them to 101 wins, is all gone. Also their division is much better. Phillies are improved. Braves are improved. Marlins are improved. The Nationals…exist. As of this moment, Mets are a 4th place team in my eyes, but that will change during the offseason.
Their pitching is not all gone. Diaz is coming back this year. Thats like adding the top reliever in free agency. Senga did nothing but get better all year and could be top 5 starters in baseball. They didn’t win 101 on pitching. They had a top 5 offense and they all underperformed last year. Expect Alonso to have MVP type year on walk year and McNeil will be better. The Braves will be the best in the division for a few years but nobody else is overwhelming.
I think you’re overestimating Diaz’s impact. Remember Robertson was very good for the Mets before he fell apart after the trade. I don’t see the Mets being a contender unless they make some drastic moves, which they will.
I think you are underestimating his impact. If he didn’t get hurt last year the Mets win 95 games and aren’t trade sellers. Everyone in the bullpen especially Robertson is not Diaz.
A closer adds 20 wins? Not a chance. Like I said, Robertson did very well in Diaz’s role. The Mets aren’t much different with a healthy Diaz. You’re being ridiculous.
They don’t trade at the deadline. The bullpen moves up one spot. They dropped from 100 win team to a 75 win team without him with upgrades. I would say that results speak for themselves.
Lol. Ridiculous. The 2023 rotation was drastically different from 22. Walker gone. Bassitt gone. The 2 wins leaders. Seth Lugo gone. Multiple bullpen pieces gone. Diaz is great, but you’re insane if you think he’s a 20-game swing. Mets are along way from 22…for now.
They were replace with Senga and Verlander. I would call them an upgrade over Bassitt and Walker. I would bet the Mets are a 90+ win team next year. Anyone thinking the Mets are taking a year off is delusional. With no additions yet Vegas still has them at 12th highest odds of winning World Series. There odds right now are not much lower then the Orioles.
The Mets relief staff was 24th in the 2nd half of 2023 after being 21st in the 1st half. Losing Robertson was a blow, but not a huge one. They were 10th in 2023 with Diaz on the staff. Losing him blew that pen up.
The point isn’t whether Robertson did a good job or not, its who was having to pitch at all because Diaz was gone. Instead of Robertson being the setup man, he was the closer. Instead of others pitching middle relief, they were pushed into setup duty.
I’m not saying Diaz wasn’t a blow. I’m saying he doesn’t add 20 wins to the Mets. That’s just ridiculous. There’s also no guarantee Robertson has that same success as a setup man. The Mets had a lot of problems in 23. Diaz was just one of them. And right now, they are nowhere near 9 wins. That can all change with Cohen, but the 2022 roster was drastically different than what we have now. And to blame the entire 23 season on losing one very good closer is being intentionally naive.
I’m not saying Diaz alone is worth twenty wins. I’m saying the domino of events his injury had cost them 20 wins.
You are definitely right about that. No player ads 20 wins. I think the cascade effect of losing Diaz was 4-5 wins and eventually the loss of Robertson who is probably still a Met if Diaz as still there.
Robertson had a very similar year as primarily a setup man in 2022.
The Mets had huge issues in 2023 and Diaz was just the biggest one. Scherzer ineffective and then suspended for two starts. Verlander injured. Cookie completely losing is after a decent 2022. MArte injured most of the year.
The Mets got old!! Now Cohen’s goal is to start the process of getting the team younger overall.
Add someone like Yamamoto or Snell to that rotation along with Lucchesi returning brings the average age of the rotation down. Yamamoto or Snell, Senga, Quintana, and Lucchesi is a solid beginning of that rotation. They really need just one more middle of the rotation starter so that Megill and Peterson are just injury replacements and not having to be counted on as the #4 and #5 starters.
Adding Mauricio and Baty will bring in younger blood as the 3B will help that goal too. .
Now they need a couple replacements for Marte/Canha/Pham in the OF.
I’m sure he’ll follow Jack’s advice rather than signing with the team that offers the most money.
Watched the Giants win 107 with a third of the talent of the Mets current roster. Stop chocking
Why would Cohen need to send payroll to $500 million to contend. They need a DH and 2 middle of the rotation starting pitchers. Maybe some middle relievers. Cohen could have all of that for $50 million. That puts their payroll around $291 million including all the dead money for Verlander, Scherzer, and McCann. That is less than last season.
Come on Cubs. Skip the Ohtani show and sign Yamamoto and Bellinger
They can do both!
Ohtani is not signing with the Cubs.Theyll try, but why would he pick Cubs over Dodgers? Makes zero sense. Consistent winner? Check. West Coast? Check. Cubs? Neither one of those things. As for Yamamoto, they always talk big, but actions speak louder, and the Cubs just are not a team that swims in the deep end of the pool. They’re going after one of the lower cost pitchers.
Dodgers are “regular” season champs… Ohtani wants a real championship.
I agree the dodgers are the current favorite, although with no leaks from Ohtani’s camp it’s all speculation. No one saw the Angels signing him, and the Cubs were said to be the only NL finalist at the time.
Reason enough to hope.
It’s going to come down to who he’s most comfortable with. The money will be there regardless, the west coast thing is overblown, imo. I think winning and culture are his priorities
It will be shocking if Dodgers don’t land one of the two.
Also, FACT: the difference in time on a direct flight to Tokyo from LA and Chicago is 1 hr. 26 min. Pretty negligible when you’re flying in first class bunker.
Who is the real Champion? Last I check, Dodgers and Braves have been the most successful franchise in the past decade. Yup, titles make a big difference but who’s winning them constantly? If I’m Ohtani, I would be LA bound fast. Signing him and getting a SP or 2 with all the other SP coming back from injuries, will get him close if not straight up a title. Freddie, Mookie, Ohtani, Muncy can be one of the best lineup in baseball ⚾️. It’s the pitching that will have to take them over the top
Oh really, I saw the Angel’s signing him when they mentioned hot weather and DH. Now the NL open up the DH so if the hot weather and winning still a big part of where he signs, LAD is a no brainer
I literally put coffee through my nose just now. Regular season Champs! Bahahaha
I’ve been trying to start a rumor that there is a major herpes outbreak in LA area right now. Only chance of getting him away from the Dodgers
And global warming has allowed a few more spots as well
Lol..it doesnt matter if its by an inch or a mile..winning is winning
..and flags fly forever..there is only 1 that really counts
Poolhalljunkies — Yeah, and that’s the winner of the 162-game marathon. The playoffs make the World Series into a joke.
I was thinking the same for the Angels, but with Ohtani and Yamamoto, minus Bellinger, and throw in a closer. Then the x-mas list will be complete with a couple of stocking stuffers. 😉
Not trying to be confrontational, but the Angels wasted Trout’s and Ohtani’s prime years. I don’t see him resigning there or any prime free agents hitching their wagon to Moreno
Angels didn’t waste his time. He got paid, lavishly. We, the fans cherished him and had fun.
Yeah. A lot of teams don’t win. The Angels tried, aggressively so. They didn’t waste anything. Ohtani could sign with the Dodgers and win nothing. It happens.
cr&vph, the Angels had a window with Ohtani, Trout, Rendon, they just didn’t have a few more pieces mainly pitching to get a WS title or two. I think that window has closed or is closing. Same for the Dodgers with all the division titles. Just didn’t have the couple of pieces/pitchers to get through that window. The Dodgers can open it back up with some smart trades & FA signings. So could the Angels but not if they loose Ohtani & Trout!
Slider32, Cole, Harper, Rendon (that’s a good thing though), I believe Verlander? And then can’t keep some of their own maybe due to high cost of living, taxes? Some players saying they don’t want to go to LA.
Cubs will disappoint us once again. They’ll sign one lower cost starter and one lower cost reliever and a guy like Rys Hoskins – another reclamation project since Belli worked out so well. But they won’t sign any giant, long-term deals. Cubs fans all think that just because they signed Counsell that they’re going for broke. Hoyer is simply not that kind of guy. And that’s why Tommy boy likes him.
Us? Aren’t you a White Sox fan?
Giants sign Yamamoto and Lee, San Francisco fans feel rosy all over.
Giants are going to go hard for Ohtani and they should really be the favorites in landing him. They need to make a splash after missing on big name FA the past 2 offseasons. Ohtani is the biggest splash possible.
When have the Dodgers lost a bidding war for a player?
Trying reverse psychology right now. I don’t want Ohtani in SF. Nor YY or Lee. Bad idea.
Personally, I’d rather the Giants go after Yamamoto and Lee than Ohtani. Not that I wouldn’t be pleased with Ohtani on the Giants. I just think the money will be better spent on the other two (plus signing Hoskins).
And, I think, the Dodgers (or Mariners) will go all out for Ohtani.
Giants dropped to 17th in MLB attendance last season and really need a huge draw. Outside of Honolulu, the Bay Area has the largest Japanese American population. No player would have a greater impact on ticket sales and sponsorship money than Ohtani.
Not saying that they will sign him, just that they will definitely go big on him.
Does signing bauer count as a loss?..and you must not recall the mcourt era
They just lost on Nola. They offered around 6 for 165 for him.
6/160 and they are continuing on a streak of losing out on big free agents. That will make them even more desperate to sign Ohtani.
Phillies aren’t signing Ohtani, I don’t think they have any interest in him.
Pete, I was talking about the Giants. If you were not responding to me that is understandable. This format makes it hard to know who is responding to who.
websoulsurfer — Yeah, I misunderstood. That’s why, when the replies get long, I include the name of who I’m replying to. Thanks for clarifying.
Whoever signs Bellinger for more than 2 years will live to regret that decision. He’s now a one hit wonder and picked the right year to be wonderful
One hit wonder? Dude won an MVP. Check the back of his baseball card and then comment.
The back of Bellingers card has Dodger Dogs on it.
How many years ago was that? That’s not NOW as he’s not that player any more
His down years directly correspond to his injury recovery. Bellinger is a legit stud.
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!
We need laughing emojis on here for comments like this.
@max. I miss the thumbs down they got rid of years ago.
yeah, because the Pads never go after big name FAs like Turner, Judge, Bogaerts, Machado…hey wait.
I could be very wrong and could show a lack of empathy as well, but, what if Seidler wanted 1 last hurrah? Gambled on spending a ton to win it all? All reports currently state SD lowering salary and nearly zero chance they sign someone to a contract Yamamoto will get!
I suppose all we do now is speculate, wait and see!
All Reports? No. ONE report that has since been retracted by Kevin Acee of the SDUT.
All the rest of the reports simple quote or link to his article.
lol you guys are broke and shedding salary
Says… you?
No, says multiple reports
Like a retracted story from the UT’s Kevin Acee? Ok
Nope there’s been plenty of other reports, as you know, but are in denial about.
I looked into this and there are no other sources to this story, all reports link to Acee, despite fact he retracted.
Just bad journalism regurgitated
50 million loan taken out, exactly what the Padres are trimming which is a big reason for letting go of the manager, Soto being shopped around. You aren’t signing any more big FAs especially with ownership in flux after your owners death. lol people like you are funny to laugh at when FACTS are in your face.
Lol…. Loans are common for teams this time of year. They are fine financially, nobody has said otherwise…..
theathletic.com/5021659/2023/11/01/padres-payroll-…
No, it’s the front office sending false messages to the media to maintain leverage
Padres might not sign YY…but you do know just this season they felt financially comfortable enough to revamp part of their ballpark at $20 million dollars? Even though Manfred didn’t want them to take on whole loan…Padres were actually approved for $100 (not 50) by the lending bank as well.
Owner like Seidler made his billions in worth by smart investing and planning…you think he wasn’t doing that knowing he was on borrowed time? He did all that to create legacy and the team will still be in his family…by his choice. Time will tell how that plays out…but he was infamously quoted as saying, “there will never be another fire sale in SD.” I trust he had a plan after he passed more then reporters looking for some story to make as real as a retraction.
Acee and Dennis Lin use a lot of anynomous sources…but it seems that’s about as concrete as they can get.
lol it’s public knowledge the padres took out a $50 million dollar loan last year to help pay for expenses. Quit denying this. I will be laughing when you don’t sign any big names and sell off Soto or have you not learned to witness incompetence in your FO leadership with Preller spending and no gold to bring home. I guess Padres fans are possibly drinking the Preller water still
Laugh all you want, buddy…there’s nothing to prove…only that you have hot garbage takes with nothing concrete to back it up…nothing to see here, right?
Padre fans are skeptical of taking any report from Acee as gospel with him having been around for a long time and proven himself wrong on many occasions, like….
Last year we were led to believe by that same author that there was only 15m to fill out the roster going into the off-season. A lot of us thought that was the truth and then when they resigned Robert Saurez to a 5/46m paying him 10m in 2023 we were like, wtf, how are they supposed to fill out the rotation with what’s left?!?
Shortly thereafter they resigned Nick Martinez and his salary alone at that point put them over what we were led to believe they had available to spend. Then the news came out that they offered Judge over 400m and a contact to Trea Turner that would have been the biggest given out to an infielder (342m+). Of course they then landed Boegarts paying him 25m/yr.
They weren’t done, they then gave Wacha and Lugo a combined 15m to fill out the back of the rotation. All in all they spent around 45m more then Acee said they would.
So fast forward to this offseason and you can image why Padres fans are skeptical taking Acee’s word as gospel. It sure seems like Preller’s mojo is the less Acee knows the better and if . He was so off base last season (appx 45m in 2023 salary) that Padres fans are perfectly fine letting things play out rather panicking that they’re broke about to be bankrupt and need to liquidate the whole thing.
Let’s remember that the Padres outdrew the Yankees, the Mets, the 2022 World Series winning Houston Astros, the 2021 World Series winning Atlanta Braves and are the only game in town.
Things aren’t bad at all for the Padres. Add in that Preller has already rebuilt the farm to a better position then it was pre Soto trade only helps. Preller is going to have a lot of options to do his thing.
The loan was not approved by MLB until days after the last payroll of the season was paid out on September 15th. It was NOT for payroll.
You know what it quite possibly WAS for? The land at Tailgate Park that they have to pay the city of San Diego for in December. Where they are going to be building a $1.5 billion development. cisterra.com/tailgatepark
That makes MUCH more sense, but it’s not near as sensational as claiming the Padres are borrowing money to pay payroll. You wouldn’t click on the link to read the article talking about that so the failing Athletic didn’t publish what is most likely the real story.
Some facts for you to chew on.
The Padres are now a revenue sharing payers. Like the Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox and other big market teams, they are paying into the revenue sharing system instead of receiving money and draft picks. They are a top 14 revenue team.
The Padres had record revenue in 2023. They made more money than in any season in their history.
Prior to the season the Padres CEO Greupner said that the team would NOT lose money in 2023. That they could not maintain the level of payroll GROWTH that they had the last few years, but that they would not lose money in 2023. Pretty sure HE knows their financial situation.
The Padres had record attendance since opening Petco and were 2nd in MLB. They had the highest percentage of seats sold in MLB.
Padres 2024 season tickets are sold out. You can get on a waitlist if you want, but so many season ticket holders re-upped and added seats that its not likely you will get in even in 2025. mlb.com/padres/tickets/season-tickets/waitlist
The Padres are having a single game ticket sale that started on the 21st and runs through Dec 4th and there are very few tickets of any kind left. mlb.com/padres/tickets/specials/holiday-ticket-off…
Maury Brown is saying it’s likely that the Padres will earn more money from TV in 2024 than the $52 million DSG/Ballys would have paid them. They knew the bankruptcy was coming and were ready. MLB paid them 80% of the one payment out of 6 that DSG/Ballys defaulted on. They had contracts signed with all the carriers that DSG had them on when it was Bally’s SD the very next day. The next day. All of them. Cox, Spectrum, AT&T, DIRECTV, and FUBO. They added Spectrum Hawaii. They also became the first team to be able to sell MLB.tv single team packages that were not blocked out locally. By the end of the season they were making $4 million per month JUST from those packages.
Not ONE person on the Padres has even intimated that they are cutting payroll. In fact, Seidler said a few months ago that they were staying the course and payroll would stay about the same and to a person, including the new interim point man Kutsenda, the GM, and the CEO have all said they are continuing what Seidler set in motion. They have said that as recently as Shildt’s introductory press conference. mlb.com/padres/video/live-padres-press-conference-…
Melvin was allowed to leave because the Padres were rudderless in 2023 and missed the playoffs. Melvin’s self-proclaimed hands-off approach to managing the team did not work. His lack of ability to make effective in-game management decisions led to a MLB and franchise worst record in 1-run and extra-inning games. The situation was so bad that on Sept 1st a group of 7 players including all the team leaders came to Preller to complain about Melvin’s managing of the team.
Soto is not being shopped around. Preller said what any GM would say. He would listen if someone called, but that he did not see any way that Soto would not be a Padre in 2024. He also said that extending him was the biggest priority this offseason.
Padres ownership is not in flux. The majority partner of the Padres is the trust established by Peter Seidler prior to his death and controlled by Sheel Seidler, his wife. Peter’s longtime friend and business partner is acting as the team’s interim control person for interactions with MLB. The team will stay in the Seidler family and Peter set aside a portion of his trust to make sure that the Padres could continue to field a championship level team for years to come.
Now you can continue to be a hater or you can face the facts that the media is not interested in feeding you the facts, only in feeding you what keeps you clicking on their websites.
Expenses yes. Payroll no. Paying the $31.5 million cost of buying Tailgate Park from the city of San Diego in December is part of those expenses. Paying the initial costs to Cisterra, the developer of Tailgate Park, is part of that expenses. Those have nothing to do with player payroll.
Padres current payroll for 2024 sits around 170m. That’s before any tax penalties or player benefits. My guess is teams add in player benefits but not sure if they count that towards players contracts or not. Either way they will have to pay that. It’s usually around 15-17m for a single season.
Padres will likely trade Grisham and save another 5m by dealing him bringing down payroll a little more. They will also likely look to include carpenter in a trade to free up his 5.5m though that may not happen.
It’s very possible the padres don’t have a 250+m payroll in 2024. Nor do they need to in order to fill out the roster holes.
Been reports recently the padres are open to trading away some of their better prospects this winter. They will be very active this winter. My guess is they make a trade or two and sign some free agents as well.
I fully expect them to be in the mix for Yamamoto. Doesn’t mean they will sign him for he has a huge market.
They will also likely kick the tires on trading for players like Beiber, Cease and glasnow.
They have the prospects to trade for anyone they want.
This doesn’t mean they won’t trade Soto. That will come down to two things. One can they extend him. Haven’t heard any progress on that though Soto is very out spoken about keeping things quiet on that front. If and it’s probably likely that can’t extend him then they will obviously listen on trades for him. Preller will have a very high asking price for Soto. He is a huge part of the team next year. People expect Soto to have a monster free agent campaign. The Padres without Soto in the lineup become extremely right handed heavy in the lineup. I think the chance of a team paying sotos high price tag via trade is unlikely. So I expect him to be on the team next year even if not extended.
After the disappointing 2023, the drama around preller and Melvin has put a lot of pressure on Preller to have a playoff+ season in 2024. They aren’t going to achieve that by trading Soto and collecting a bunch of 5th starters as people on here seem to believe.
You also have to remember at the time the padres took out the loan of 50m they said they were planning on doing that before the season even started. They have said that the felt like they would need that money at some point in the future. Nobody truly knows what all the reasons for the loan were.
A reports recently came out that in 2018 the padres had a payroll of 104m. On that same report it was said the padres had more then doubled revenue since that time. So affording a payroll of over 200m is easy to see them being able to do.
They have also raised tickets prices again this year. Some that have renewed have seen anywhere from a 10% to 25% increase from last year. Yet they still sold out of their season tickets.
As far as where the payroll will be this year nobody really knows. To sit here and call them broke is just false.
Ah..the San Diego Chicken is off his couch and has had ENOUGH of all the Padres haters!
I’d also imagine a new TV deal is coming which is another revenue stream. If you think about it a distribution deal to get more reach in apac makes perfect sense for the pads too.
It will be interesting to see what happens with their tv deal this year. I haven’t heard anything on that front. A lot of teams may have this issue soon. MLB hasn’t really comment on it recently either.
I guess the default is selling team mlb specific packages along with local network deals. If mlb doesn’t guarantee 80% again this year. I wonder how much the padres will earn with the same approach as last year. Very little info on what they got out of last years deal.
I wonder if a streaming service would pick up a local teams deal. You see it on national deals but haven’t seen it that I know of on a local teams deal. The big payday on the cable network seems to be all but dead. I also wonder if a team like the padres go after Ohtani. With the idea of it making their tv deal worth more.
This is a pretty big deal and I wonder why reporters are asking more questions regarding this issue.
HOF post, web. Solid truth, top to bottom!
When that is all you have to say, it’s better not to see what you have to say. Say hello to my little friend the mute button.
The Padres already have TV deals with each of the individual carriers separately. They increased their market share by adding Spectrum Hawaii. They may sign a deal in Japan or Korea to have their games carried there. There is no reason to get in bed with an RSN again.
We know exactly what the Padres got in 2023. They were scheduled to get the same $52 million that they were to get in 2024. It was to be paid ni 6 payments starting on opening day.
DSG defaulted on the May payment. MLB paid the Padres 80% of that defaulted payment and was committed to paying the Padres the remaining balance of that $52 million but ended up not paying anything because the Padres renegotiated with all the individual carriers that DSG had deals with, added Spectrum Hawaii, and got to sell MLB.tv individual team packages.
The Padres ended up losing $1.73 million or 20% of the $8.67 payment DSG defaulted on in for May.
Thanks. I get so tired of people continuing to spread BS long after its been shown to be incorrect.
Web, that is the best breakdown of the Padres I have seen this offseason. Packed with the facts. Thanks.
Facts are also that the Padres stunk last year and fell well short of expectations.
@Garett We finished 2 games behind the diamondbacks and lost almost all our extra innings games which is unexplainable. And we didn’t have tatis for the start of the season. It was a weird year – according to Eno Sarrisxwe should’ve won ~90 games last year.
The Padres fell well short of expectations and the largest reason for that is gone. They still had a winning season and once Melvin was sidelined in September the Padres went on to show their true colors. Just him being gone will be enough to increase their win totals. I really believe if he had been let go at the All Star break the Padres would have finished in the playoffs and the NL pennant winners would have been sitting at home.
2024 is going to be an interesting season as the Padres will have to replace the entire backend of their rotation. The guys that were supposed to be their #3-#6 starters to start the 2023 season are now FA with most not expected to return.
They will once again be in on the FA at the top of the charts, but this offseason everyone is looking for pitching, so coming home with even one of the top starters will be difficult. Hopefully they can get one of Yamamoto of Montgomery to slot in at #3 behind Musgrove and Darvish. While most pundits have Yamamoto going to the Mets, he was seen at Petco Park on Thanksgiving after being in LA at the Lakers game the day before. Beyond signing a #3, getting a LH starter is a priority. Padres are rumored to be in negotiations with the Marlins for Luzardo or Garrett. If they are able to both sign a #3 and get a LH starter from the Marlins, the rotation is as strong as it was to start 2023.
The Padres are also rumored to be one of the finalists for Yariel Rodriguez. No one knows if he will be a starter or a reliever when he signs, but he will be a really good pitcher. His last workout for the Padres and Red Sox was impressive with him throwing in the upper 90s and showing 3 other plus pitches.
Meant to keep that short and it went long anyway. Padres will outperform 2023 in 2024. If they are able to come home with the players they are rumored to be in on, then they will be a force to be reckoned with.
Garett, your point? Other than the one at the top of your head of course.
Says who?
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