MLB Rumors: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Giants Have 'An Awful Lot of Buzz' Amid Free Agency

There is reportedly "an awful lot of buzz" between high-profile free agent pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the San Francisco Giants, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Other potential suitors for Yamamoto reportedly also believe that the Giants have an "edge" for the Japanese phenom.

The 25-year-old is expected to talk with interested teams via Zoom before meeting with finalists in person after the MLB's Winter Meetings, which occur from Dec. 4 through Dec. 7 in Tennessee (via SNY's Andy Martino).

The Giants' front office hasn't been shy about their interest in Yamamoto. General manager Pete Putila and VP of pro scouting Zack Minasian traveled to Japan to attend one of his games. President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi also alluded to a pursuit of Yamamoto's services prior to the start of free agency.

"There are also a lot of players from Japan and South Korea coming over that have been successful the last few years whereas 10, 15 years ago there might have been a little bit more apprehension at that risk," Zaidi said, via Taylor Wirth of NBC Sports. "I think there's enough of a track record now where if you do your homework you can have a lot of confidence in the contributions those players can make."

While Yamamoto's MLB success isn't a guarantee, his stellar track record in Japan has left scouts salivating as he owns a deep pitching arsenal that includes a lively fastball and a deadly cutter. In 23 starts last season, he finished with a record of 16-6 while maintaining an ERA of 1.21. He also struck out 169 batters in 164.0 innings.

Yamamoto's terrific 2023 campaign resulted in him being named the MVP of the Pacific League, his third consecutive season winning the award. He's expected to sign a contract worth roughly $200 million in free agency, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.