The San Francisco Giants are managing to get rid of the bridesmaid title after landing outfielder Jung Hoo Lee, but the team reportedly is out on pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
According to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic, citing a source, the Giants were told they no longer were in the running to land Yamamoto. This more than likely means he will choose between New York or Los Angeles.
The Giants have been told they’re out of the bidding for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, per source familiar with discussions. They pushed hard but expectation is that he will end up in LA or NY.
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) December 22, 2023
As far the which New York, the most recent story comes from the Yankees whose manager Aaron Boone was very upfront with the fact that the team wants Yamamoto to sport pinstripes. Boone handed the highly-regarded pitcher the No. 18 uniform during his visit.
“I gave him that jersey. It’s his if he wants to keep it,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Thursday.
Boone also added there were certain elements to the 25-year-old that would make him a fit for any MLB rotation.
“All the teams are now putting their best foot forward and negotiating. That’s above my pay grade. So we’ll see where it lands,” Boone said. “Special dude. Really some presence to him. Comfortable in his skin. Confident, but a humility to him. So it’s just been nice to get to know him.”
For the Dodgers, even though they just signed two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani to a history-making $700-million deal, and traded for Tyler Glasnow, they appeared to be in the running.
Yamamoto will be the biggest pitching free-agent signing this offseason and is rumored to receive upwards of $300 million. The Los Angeles Times’ Jack Harris reported the Dodgers were considering $250 to $300 million in hopes of landing him.
Whoever ultimately wins the bid will get Yamamoto at his peak.
Across seven seasons with Nippon Professional Baseball, he boasted a 1.72 ERA with 986 strikeouts in 967 and 2/3 innings. In 2023 alone he possessed an 0.88 WHIP in 23 starts for the Orix Buffaloes.
About Jessica Kleinschmidt
Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.