Passan: Dodgers, Red Sox, Cubs Shouldn't Be Ruled out For Yamamoto amid MLB Rumors

Just because New York Mets owner Steve Cohen met with free agent pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Japan last week doesn't mean Yamamoto is guaranteed to end up in New York, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Passan said Thursday on the Pat McAfee Show that in addition to the Mets and the New York Yankees, he "would not discount" the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs as contenders for Yamamoto.

The Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants are also potential suitors for Yamamoto if they do not win the bid for star free agent Shohei Ohtani, Passan added.

"That's the interesting thing about this offseason in baseball," Passan. "All of the big money teams want to spend, and there's just a limited number of players to do it on."

Yamamoto is entering MLB free agency after starring in Japan for the Nippon Professional Baseball's Orix Buffaloes, where in 172 career appearances since 2017 he boasts a 1.82 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and a 70-29 record.

That includes a 16-6 record in 23 starts over the 2023 season, including a 1.21 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 160-to-28 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Those numbers mean it's only the "big money teams" Passan mentioned who are likely to be able to afford Yamamoto, who could command close to $300 million in free agency, according to The Athletic's Jim Bowden.

To snag Yamamoto, however, teams will have to compete with two teams with the deepest pockets in the MLB.

In addition to Cohen's dinner last week, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has also traveled overseas to see Yamamoto. He was in the crowd in September as the 25-year-old pitched his second career no-hitter.

Those two teams aren't the only ones prepared to spend big on pitching. The Dodgers, Cubs are both reportedly in the mix for Ohtani.

If the former Los Angeles Angels star goes in another direction, those teams could be ready to put that money on another starter instead. As could the Blue Jays and Giants, according to Passan.

According to MLB Network's Jon Morosi, Ohtani is expected to make his decision by Sunday.

Whatever Ohtani's decision, the bidding war for Yamamoto is set to heat up over the next three weeks. The Japanese star's free agency window only lasts through 5 p.m. on January 4.