Yankees Rumors: Yoshinobu Yamamoto's Preferred No. 18 Jersey Saved by NY amid Links

The New York Yankees are rumored to be in pursuit of Japanese pitching sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and the team has reportedly been saving a spot for him for a while.

According to Andy Martino of SNY, the Yankees "have purposefully held the number 18 for Yamamoto over the past year."

The No. 18 holds significance for Yamamoto for multiple reasons. Not only was it his number while he pitched for the Orix Buffaloes in Nippon Professional Baseball, but Martino noted that it's "traditionally considered the 'ace' number in Japan."

The Yankees know how much the number would mean to Yamamoto thanks to their previous courtship of Japanese pitchers. Hiroki Kuroda wore the No. 18 while he was in New York from 2012 to 2014. Masahiro Tanaka, who wore No. 18 as the ace for the NPB's Rakuten Golden Eagles, took No. 19 when he signed with the Yankees out of respect for Kuroda, who was still on the team at the time.

The last player to wear No. 18 in New York was Andrew Benintendi in 2022. Per Martino, the Yankees "intentionally did not give out 18 last season as they were regularly scouting Yamamoto in Japan."

The gesture could give the Yankees a leg up in the race for Yamamoto. Martino noted that three of the other teams pursuing him--the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox--currently have the No. 18 available but did not hold it out last year like the Yankees did. The New York Mets are also in the running for Yamamoto, but they're set to retire the No. 18 in 2024 in honor of Darryl Strawberry.

Only time will tell if the Yankees have done enough to convince Yamamoto to sign with them this winter. The right-handed hurler is expected to begin taking in-person meetings with MLB teams after the winter meetings.