Yoshinobu Yamamoto Must Be Top Target for Contenders Amid MLB Rumors

The price to acquire Yoshinobu Yamamoto this offseason just went up.

The 25-year-old from Nippon Professional Baseball's Orix Buffaloes hurled a complete game in his final outing prior to free agency, allowing just one run and ensuring his team's run in the Japan Series continues into Game 7.

Yamamoto was already expected to attract considerable attention this offseason, with Jon Heyman of the New York Post reporting no less than eight teams have been linked to the World Baseball Classic star.

Yamamoto's latest showing was the cherry on top of the proverbial cake of a season in which he accumulated a 1.16 ERA, an 0.86 WHIP, and 176 strikeouts in 24 games.

The Mets would seemingly hold the upper hand, thanks to Yamamoto's friendship with Kodai Senga, who the team signed last offseason and watched develop into their best pitcher in 2023. Senga has been vocal in his desire to have his friend join the team, and Yamamoto has expressed his want to play in a big market.

It helps that Yamamoto is reportedly unfazed by the idea of playing with another Japanese player. "League sources said that Yamamoto's experience playing in the World Baseball Classic with other stars from Japan helped influence his thinking in that regard," Will Sammon of The Athletic wrote.

Boston, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles would all fit the big market preference and, like the Mets, could all use a starting pitcher to help bolster their rotations.

For the Dodgers, specifically, quality starters are likely the only thing keeping them from returning to the World Series as pitching was more than a liability than anything during their brief appearance in this year's playoffs.

There is not a single team mentioned in Heyman's post that could not benefit from acquiring Yamamoto.

Is he going to be a polished product right away? Probably not, but neither was Senga. In a season of massive disappointments for the Mets, the best thing Buck Showalter and Co. did was allow him time to settle in and develop into the top pitcher on the team.

If a team takes its time, lets him get his feet under him in the States, and work with the gifts that were on display in for Orix, they will benefit from a potentially generational pitcher who can win them the World Series title they have tirelessly chased.

For that reason, he belongs at the top of their postseason to-do list.