Report: Yoshinobu Yamamoto Expected to Be Posted This Week amid Yankees, Mets Rumors

Japanese starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto is expected to be officially posted this week, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

The Orix Buffaloes announced on Nov. 5 they intend to post the right-hander, paving the way for him to sign with an MLB team. Passan cited the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays as the teams that might make a run at him.

Especially with the health questions surrounding Shohei Ohtani, Yamamoto is arguably the top arm on the market. He's a two-time MVP of the Pacific League and a three-time winner of the Eiji Sawamura Award, which is handed out to the best pitcher in NPB.

In 2023, the 25-year-old went 17-6 with a 1.16 ERA and 176 strikeouts in 171 innings with the Buffaloes in 2023. He threw his second career no-hitter in September.

The New York Post's Mike Puma reported in October at least one team with Yamamoto on its radar believes his price "will start somewhere in the $200 million range for six or seven years."

Passan echoed that reporting, writing Tuesday his valuation "tends to start at $200 million and work up." He added "the separator could be which team is willing to offer him big money and an opt-out clause to further leverage his age."

Only two active pitchers have met that threshold. Gerrit Cole got $324 million over nine years from the New York Yankees, while the Washington Nationals re-signed Stephen Strasburg for seven years and $245 million.

Strasburg's contract has been nothing short of a disaster, with injuries limiting him to eight appearances over the last three seasons. Work your way down further (Jacob deGrom, Carlos Rodón, Chris Sale, Patrick Corbin and José Berríos are next on the list) and you have other deals that have aged poorly.

Still, that may not scare off any suitors from making Yamamoto one of the highest-paid at his position.