As of this writing Yoshinobu Yamamoto has yet to be signed by a team, and while it's being reported that as many as five teams have made offers north of $300 million dollars, and he will sign this week, we are also watching the fallout in New York. This is the first time that Steve Cohen and his huge bank account will be in the pursuit of the same free agent as the Evil Empire and Hal Steinbrenner. Someone will be left disappointed and there is a chance that neither New York team lands the coveted free agent. That means they will need to pivot their offseason after the miss.
If the Yankees lose out on Yamamoto it will hurt their pride, but also hurt their potential rotation and depth. The Yankees have a big hole in their rotation and would need to adjust on the fly. That is where their minor league capital will come into play. We have heard that Dylan Cease has been talked about as a possible replacement. The Marlins are always open to talking and they have a slew of good young arms and of course, Shane Bieber has been on the Yankees watch list for years now, we can't rule out a huge move like Corbin Burnes. There are also some arms that can be simply bought as free agents like Blake Snell or Shota Imanaga. Brian Cashman can't rest after the Soto signing and telling New York that the Yankees are back just to fall short with his rotation.
Steve Cohen may get criticized even more than Cashman and the Yankees if he fails to secure Yamamoto. For Mets fans it would symbol the same old story they have known for years. Cohen was supposed to be their white knight who would buy every superstar and he has been as quiet as a Christmas mouse. The prevailing thought is the Mets won't make a trade for an arm, so Cohen will have to overpay for one of the free agents, and the Amazin's have a bigger hole in their rotation than the Yankees.
Whoever is left holding the bag, or in this case with no bag, will have to adjust and do so swiftly. Both teams need a rotation arm that Yamamoto would fill, but there is only one Yamamoto. It will be interesting to see who lands the star, but the fall out of who doesn't will be much more telling.
 |
|
Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound for the Orix Buffaloes (NPB)
during a game in Japan. Orixbaseballclub | Wikipedia
|