5 best Mets starting pitcher additions for next season ranked

1) Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Six or seven months ago there was little talk about Yoshinobu Yamamoto and today he is the most famous and coveted free agent after Shohei Ohtani. The Japanese pitcher finished another season where he won the Triple Crown for the third consecutive time and the Eiji Sawamura Award (the equivalent of MLB's Cy Young), for the third time in his career.

Yamamoto's value as a pitcher is unquestionable. His stuff and arsenal can make him the best Japanese pitcher in MLB history.

Yamamoto once again dominated the Nippon Professional Baseball League in 2023 where he managed to throw the second no-hitter of his career. Additionally, Yoshinobu has managed to be dominant in the most pressure scenarios such as his performance in the last World Baseball Classic and his incredible performance in the elimination game of the Japanese baseball final when he managed to throw a complete game of 138 pitches with a record for the Japan Series with 14 strikeouts, where he only allowed one run and did not walk.

Within Yamamoto's arsenal, his curveball is the pitch that stands out from the rest. Yamamoto's "Yo-Yo" curveball has a style and dominance similar to what Kodai Senga has achieved with his famous forkball splitter, with a unique "Ginoza" grip, with a 12-6 movement and a speed of 77 mph that gets any hitter out of rhythm.

Additionally, his fastball reaches 97 mph and has an above-average cutter and splitter. A complete pitcher and future star who is just 25 years old.

Due to Yamamoto's dominance, stuff, arsenal, and age, the war for his services will be huge, especially against the New York Yankees. The Mets have the financial means to win the battle for his services and although the team has multiple needs in its rotation, Yoshinobu Yamamoto should be the number one target of the organization since with his young age he could be the strength of the rotation from 2024 and beyond.