MLB Rumors: Yankees Believe They Have 'Real Shot' at Yamamoto amid Mets' Pursuit

As the New York Mets have put their best foot forward in an attempt to sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto, their in-state rivals are feeling hopeful about their chances of landing the Japanese superstar.

Per ESPN's Buster Olney, the New York Yankees have a "quiet confidence" they have a "real shot" to get Yamamoto to sign with them.

The race for Yamamoto appears to be down to the Mets, Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants. Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reported on Tuesday the 25-year-old only met with the Mets and Yankees during a recent visit to the East Coast.

The Boston Red Sox, who Speier cites as a "dark horse" in this race, didn't get an in-person meeting with Yamamoto over the weekend.

Per Joel Sherman of the New York Post, Mets owner Steve Cohen hosted Yamamoto for dinner at his house with a contingent of team personnel on Sunday.

Olney noted Cohen flew to Japan earlier this offseason to meet with Yamamoto, and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman was in the country during the NPB season to watch the right-hander pitch for the Orix Buffaloes.

According to Olney, people in the Mets' organization believe Cohen will offer Yamamoto the most money of any potential suitor. He also noted both the Mets and Yankees have a "wariness" about the "power of the Dodgers."

All three teams are operating from a somewhat desperate position. The Dodgers are the least desperate club in the group after signing Shohei Ohtani and acquiring Tyler Glasnow, but they still have a lot of question marks in the starting rotation.

The Yankees addressed their biggest need by getting a middle-of-the-order hitter to pair with Aaron Judge when they acquired Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres. They still need impact starting pitching to plug in behind Gerrit Cole.

The Mets started to take a long-term approach to roster building last summer when Cohen's offseason spending didn't pay off. They may not quite be ready to make the leap into playoff contention next season even if they land Yamamoto, but finding a potential No. 1 starter is a huge priority for a team that has Kodai Senga and not much else in the rotation.

Yamamoto is the top free-agent pitcher on the market, though ESPN's Jeff Passan recently noted that reports of multiple teams offering him $300 million already were inaccurate.

Considering the Mets, Yankees and Dodgers will likely be competing against each other, it wouldn't be a surprise if the bidding eventually does get to at least $300 million.