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The 3 biggest threats to the Mets dream of signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto
The Mets hope to be the winners of the Yoshinobu Yamamoto sweepstakes.
The New York Mets are one of many teams dreaming of adding Japanese phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto this offseason. Yamamoto makes the move to MLB after winning three straight Sawamura Awards (Japanese Cy Young). He has arguably received the most hype of any Japanese free agent not named Shohei Ohtani.
Yamamoto makes perfect sense for the Mets for a number of reasons. First, he doesn't have the qualifying offer attached to him. While the Mets would have to forfeit draft capital to land a free agent like NL Cy Young award winner Blake Snell, they would not have to do so with Yamamoto. That's a big deal for a Mets organization that has refused to pursue free agents with the QO attached in recent years.
Second, he's just 25 years old. Free agents are often around or over the age of 30, and Yamamoto is five years younger. Adding a young ace for nothing more than money just doesn't happen, and would be very exciting. Unfortunately, the Mets aren't the only team that sees the vision with Yamamoto who is expected to have a slew of teams interested in his services. The Mets should be considered one of the favorites, but there are three teams in particular that could look to steal him away.
1) New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a team looking to make a splash after finishing with their worst record in nearly 30 years. They don't appear to be in so heavily on Shohei Ohtani, and like the Mets, have their eyes set on Yamamoto.
The Yankees being in on Yamamoto is a bit curious after they landed a big prize last offseason for their rotation in Carlos Rodon, but you can never have enough pitching and Yamamoto is, of course, the crown jewel.
The Yankees could look to trade one of Clarke Schmidt or Michael King in a potential Juan Soto deal this offseason, clearing the path for Yamamoto to fill in. A rotation that consists of Gerrit Cole, Rodon, Yamamoto, Nestor Cortes Jr., and one of King or Schmidt would be one of, if not the best in the majors.
The Yankees have been linked to Yamamoto all year long, and Brian Cashman appears to be enamored with the right-hander. It wouldn't be surprising at all to see Yamamoto don the pinstripes.
2) Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers seem to be all in on Shohei Ohtani, and have been considered the favorites to land him for months. While the Dodgers seemingly make the most sense for Ohtani, it's very possible they fail to seal the deal. If that's the case, Los Angeles turning their attention to Yamamoto makes a ton of sense.
The Dodgers won 100 games once again this past season, but were swept in the NLDS largely because of their starting pitching. Injuries played a huge role in that, but their starting pitching was nowhere near as good as it usually is.
Walker Buehler is expected to return after missing the entire 2023 season recovering from Tommy John Surgery, but that's not easy to rely on. The Dodgers have young arms with potential like Bobby Miller, Emmet Sheehan, and Ryan Pepiot, but they're far from proven. There's always the likely chance they bring Clayton Kershaw back for another year, but he's hurt and will miss time. Other arms like Tony Gonsollin and Dustin May will be out for the entire 2024 season as well.
It's hard to picture the Dodgers spending the money it'd take to land both Ohtani and Yamamoto, but if they do miss out on Shohei, focusing all of their efforts on the 25-year-old fireballer would make the most sense.
3) Boston Red Sox
Like the Yankees, the Red Sox have taken a bit of a step back when it comes to spending money in recent years. The result? Three last place finishes in the last four seasons. Not exactly what Red Sox fans are used to, or will accept.
Boston finishing at the bottom of the AL East as often as they have resulted in the reiring of Chaim Bloom. Craig Breslow took his spot as the primary decision maker, and could be looking to make a big splash. Ohtani would be the biggest splash, but Yamamoto is probably the best fit, considering the fact that he can pitch in 2024.
To say Boston needs help in their rotation would be an understatement. Chris Sale is still there, but he's as unreliable as they come. Young arms like Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck, and Kutter Crawford have shown promise, but are far from locks to be productive. Boston needs a bonafide ace and Yamamoto would provide that.
Starting pitching has been a weakness for years in Boston, and this past season was no exception as the team ranked 21st in starting pitcher ERA. Only one team that finished below them even finished above .500, and that was the 82-80 Reds who missed the playoffs. Good teams have good starting pitching, and Boston needs that to win.
They have a new GM looking to make a splash, a hungry fanbase, and a ton of money at their disposal. Boston looms large as a major threat to the Mets.
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