Yankees and Yoshinobu Yamamoto Meet Again: Is It Possible That the Japanese Ace Bags a Bigger Contract Than Gerrit Cole?

It is almost a month since Yoshinobu Yamamoto‘s push for the MLB started officially. However, the 25-year-old has yet to decide on his future and is meeting with multiple teams before committing to the upcoming seasons. In the same line, Nippon Baseball League’s 3x MVP met the New York Yankees shortly after dining with New York Mets’s Steve Cohen. A pressure-building tactic?

Given his capabilities, there is no doubt teams are ready to splash money to have him on the squad. If reports are to be believed, the Boston Red Sox offering Yamamoto more than $300 million contract indicates the same. But this also stresses the Yankees, who are willing to have him on the squad and may have to loosen their pocket if they want to beat the arch-rivals. In that case, Yamamoto may cost the Yankees more than Gerrit Cole. But with competition in front, will they be able to pull this off?

Hours After Dinning With the Mets, Yoshinobu Yamamoto Met the Bronx Again

With almost two weeks left, the upcoming days would be hectic for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is looking to move from Japan to the USA. Thus, the World Baseball Classic champion will look to come to an understanding and complete the paperwork to become an MLB player. With this, every meeting with the teams’ representatives becomes crucial. This was visible in his meeting with Steve Cohen, with whom he dined at the former Connecticut home, indicating his interest in the Queens. However, the most interesting part, hours after this, Yamamoto met the Yankees again.

According to The Post’s Jon Heyman, Yamamoto requested to meet the Yankees during his visit to New York. Notably, this was the second meeting between the two parties and happened days after the front office joined by Hal Steinbrenner, Brian Cashman, Aaron Boone, and others visited Los Angeles for a conversation with the player.

However, nothing has come out clearly from the meeting, but this indicates a genuine interest from both parties to reach a conclusion. But given the challenges, it may amount to a bidding war between the teams, which can push the Yanks to spend even more than they did to sign Gerrit Cole. Are they ready for this?

Will the Yankees Loosen Their Pocket to Overtake $324 Million Gerrit Cole?

The off-season has been fruitful for the Yankees. They have taken the correct steps to get what they wanted. However, all is not over for them, with free agency still not over. This allows them to sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the priority after they sorted their offense with the trade of Juan Soto. This is because of their requirement for a solid option on the mound to assist the 2023 Cy Young Award winner. His age and ability to deliver have made him a great asset for years, the prime cause behind teams offering him a multi-year contract.

Read More:-Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s Unprecedented Free Agency Continues, as Dodgers, Mets and Yankees Headline $300 Million Battle.

In that case, if the Yankees are to sign him, they may breach the $324 million mark, making Yamamoto possibly their second or even the costliest ‘pitching’ signing in the recent past. Given his past performance, it makes sense. However, will the interest from Steven Cohen and Boston play a spoil in this? What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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