Yankees Gave Yoshinobu Yamamoto No. 18 Jersey During MLB Free Agency Meeting

If the New York Yankees land Yoshinobu Yamamoto in free agency, the No. 18 jersey is his.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters Thursday that he gave Yamamoto a No. 18 jersey during their meeting earlier this week.

"I gave him that jersey," Boone said, per The Athletic's Brendan Kuty. "It's his if he wants to keep it."

Yamamoto wore No. 18 during his time with the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball and also wore it for Japan at the World Baseball Classic.

Since Shohei Ohtani signed a record-setting 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, all eyes have shifted to Yamamoto, who is widely regarded as the best pitcher available on the market.

Yamamoto went 17-6 with the Buffaloes in 2023 with a 1.16 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 176 strikeouts in 171 innings across 24 games.

The Yankees, Dodgers, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays reportedly remain in contention to sign the Japanese standout.

New York's rotation would become one of the best in baseball if it is able to land Yamamoto and pair him with Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Nestor Cortes in 2024 and beyond.