Yoshinobu Yamamoto Update: Japanese ace set to meet with Red Sox and Blue Jays as free agency heats up
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is a busy man. In his free agency foray with the MLB, he's already met with several interested parties and is expected to meet with a few more teams in the coming days. Per reports, the Boston Red Sox are on deck and are the next scheduled meeting for the Japanese ace.
MLB reporter Mark Feinsand reported that the Red Sox were the next meeting on the docket for the former NPB superstar. He was expected to get attention from a ton of teams, and that is proving to be true thus far.
Feinsaind said on X, formerly known as Twitter:
"Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who has already met with the Yankees, Mets and Giants, will meet with the Red Sox in the coming days, per source. Two or three more teams - including the Blue Jays - will also likely meet with him, sources said."
Yamamoto met with the New York Yankees on Monday. The pitcher was there to meet with Brian Cashman and company, who have been saving his uniform number and invited Japanese Yankee legends Hideki Matsui and Masahiro Tanaka to the meeting as well.
Feinsand also reported that the Toronto Blue Jays were among the teams set to meet with Yamamoto after he meets with the Red Sox. He also mentioned that a few other teams, yet unnamed, would be meeting him as well.
Who's going to sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto?
Understandably, there's loads of interest in Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The Japanese ace is one of the most highly coveted free agents in this year's crop, and teams are lining up.
That includes the above mentioned teams, the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants. They will all have a lot of competition, so who is the favorite right now?
Currently, the Mets lead the pack but only slightly. Per Bookies, these are the current odds of signing Yamamoto:
- New York Mets +175
- New York Yankees +200
- Los Angeles Dodgers +250
- Boston Red Sox +1750
- San Francisco Giants +1800
- Chicago Cubs +2000
- St. Louis Cardinals +2000
The Yankees are hot on their tails, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are, too. Yes, even after signing Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers are in on Yamamoto and have pretty good odds to sign.
