The Philadelphia Phillies are believed to have six competitors for the services of free-agent Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Well, make that five.
On Thursday, NBC Sports Bay Area was among the outlets to report that the San Francisco Giants had been told they were out of the bidding for the 25-year-old right-hander.
That leaves six teams competing for the three-time Pacific League MVP — the Phillies, the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Phillies reportedly made their offer on Wednesday. The amount of the offer wasn’t disclosed. Yamamoto is only the third player to win an MVP award three straight years in Nippon Professional Baseball, along with Ichiro Suzuki and Hisashi Yamada.
He’s also won three straight Sawamura Awards, which is the Japanese Cy Young.
The bidding war for Yamamoto has been underway since his NPB team, the Orix Buffaloes, posted him for free agency. While he has until Jan. 4 to find a deal, many believe he could have an agreement by Christmas.
Jim Bowden, a former general manager of three Major League teams who now works for The Athletic, believes that Yamamoto will get a deal between $250-$300 million for anywhere from eight to 12 years. That doesn’t include the posting fee due to Orix should the deal go through.
Most, including Bowden, believe that the Yankees and the Dodgers are the favorites to land Yamamoto. The Phillies met with him last week and involved first baseman Bryce Harper in the recruiting pitch.
In 2023 Yamamoto went 16-6 with a 1.21 ERA and struck out 169 hitters in 164 innings. He threw his second career no-hitter and pitched in the Japan Series, where he struck out 14 hitters in Game 6, which set a series record.
If the Phillies are unable to land Yamamoto, they already have a “consolation” prize in Aaron Nola, whom they retained on a seven-year, $172 million deal last month.
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