MLB Rumors: Yoshinobu Yamamoto Has Yet to Get $300M Contract Offers Amid Yankees Buzz

The bidding for free-agent pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto has yet to hit $300 million, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Passan noted how "multiple reports suggested teams already had offered Yamamoto deals in excess of $300 million."

"Those reports, sources said, are inaccurate," he reported. "Multiple high-ranking officials trying to sign Yamamoto told ESPN that teams were asked to give a preliminary bid at the start of the process to ensure they were serious — but not necessarily in the neighborhood of where the deal is likely to land. Since then, those officials say, his agent, Joel Wolfe, has not solicited a new round of bids."

Gerrit Cole was the first MLB pitcher to exceed $300 million when he signed for $324 million over nine years with the New York Yankees in December 2019.

The Washington Nationals' Stephen Strasburg is the only other full-time pitcher with a contract currently eclipsing $200 million. Running down the list of other high earners drives home why teams are generally hesitant to pay starters massive sums of money.

Strasburg, Jacob deGrom, Chris Sale, Patrick Corbin, Carlos Rodón and Max Scherzer are all signed for $130-plus million, and all six have either battled injuries, seen their performances fall off, or experienced a combination of the two.

That Yamamoto would even be mentioned in the $300 million range speaks to how highly he's coveted after helping Japan win the 2023 World Baseball Classic and establishing himself as the top arm in Nippon Professional Baseball.

At 25, he's also much younger than an elite pitcher is when he typically tests free agency. Cole was 29 when he signed his record-setting contract with the Bronx Bombers.

Based on Passan's report, Yamamoto's final decision doesn't appear to be imminent. He said interested suitors are expected to table formal offers beginning Monday.

If Yamamoto's agent hasn't advanced past the initial round of bidding, though, then there may be room to haggle over the ultimate price. General managers also may not yet have a firm idea of what kind of contract it will take to get Yamamoto to sign on the dotted line.