MLB Rumors: Yankees Believe They Have 'Legit Shot' at Yamamoto amid Mets Buzz

Despite a wide array of potential suitors, the New York Yankees believe they "have a legit shot" at signing high-profile free agent pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Yamamoto reportedly has "the deepest group of serious suitors for any player in the $200M category," according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The New York Mets are currently considered the "favorite" to sign him, however.

That said, SNY's Andy Martino reported the following on Thursday: "A Yamamoto doomsday scenario for New York baseball exists in which Shohei Ohtani chooses a team other than the Dodgers -- semi-informed gossip about that scenario is rampant this week in baseball circles -- leaving Los Angeles with hundreds of millions of dollars to lavish on Yamamoto."

The Yankees are looking for another elite starting pitcher to complement ace Gerrit Cole, the 2023 AL Cy Young winner.

Outside of two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, Yamamoto is the most notable free agent available this winter. The 25-year-old has put together several tremendous seasons overseas and is now making the move to the MLB.

In 2023, Yamamoto finished with a 16-6 record in 23 appearances while striking out 169 batters in 164.0 innings pitched. He maintained an ERA of 1.21, recently winning his third consecutive MVP in Japan.

With the success of Mets pitcher Kodai Senga in his first year after a dominant career in Japan, it appears that Yamamoto will be able to make a similarly smooth transition to a new league.

The Yankees haven't been shy about their interest in him. General manager Brian Cashman was amongst many fellow MLB executives in the crowd to watch Yamamoto pitch a no-hitter on Sep. 9.

It appears that the interest is mutual as well. Yamamoto is reportedly "intrigued by the prestige and iconography" of the Yankees, according to Martino. New York is hardly the only franchise that could realistically acquire him, though.

The Giants, Red Sox, Phillies, Cubs, Cardinals, Dodgers, D-Backs and Tigers have all been linked to Yamamoto throughout the past few weeks, according to Heyman.