The rumor mill didn't even wait for the World Series to end before it started to go into hyperdrive for the coming major league baseball offseason, and at the center of the rumors stand the New York Yankeees. Reports have come out that the Padres are in desperate financial times and that led directly to Juan Soto's name being bandied about. Soto will likely cost $500 million plus, and with the Padres not able to afford him, all eyes now are looking to Brian Cashman and pinstripes. This Soto news could only be minimized by the Otani destination, which will make the slugger the head of a free agent class that most believe the Yanks will have a heavy hand in. Throw in names like Bellinger and Snell and you can see why the rumor mill is so active already.
The one name that continues tio bubble to the surface for the Yankees, fans may not know much about. Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Despite fans not knowing his career intimately, Brian Cashman knows more than most, after he took a trip to watch him play during this past season.
Yamamoto is everything you would want in a front line starter. He is a 25-year-old pitcher with a stat line that is nearly unbelievable and a pitching arsenal just as impressive. In his seven years in Japan he threw nearly 1,000 innings. Over those innings he put up a mind bending 1.72 ERA. Yamamoto strikes out more than a batter per inning, walks only two per nine and keeps the ball in the park with a 0.3 HR/9 split. What is even crazier about this is he seems to be getting better. His 2023 numbers of a 1.16 ERA are impressive enough, but he also lowered his walk and home run rates, while increasing his strikeouts per nine.
He is a five pitch pitcher who also goes deep into games. He wants the ball and wants to be out there, something that is increasingly rare in today's game, but the same mentality that Gerrit Cole brings to work every time he takes the bump. Yamamoto also has not had any injuries at this point in his career, which is also seemingly a dying trait among young pitchers.
In short, Yamamoto seems like the perfect fit for this Yankees team. New York has always been aggressive in the international market and this is a no brainer for them. Fans will argue if hitting or pitching is the bigger need, but no fans will argue that getting a 25-year-old, with clean medicals, and the type of bulldog mentality behind those outstanding numbers isn't a fit. So, while the world can whisper about what moves Hal and Cash might make, this is a move that should be an easy sell.
 |
|
Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound for the Orix Buffaloes
(NPB) during a game in Japan. Orixbaseballclub | Wikipedia
|