Breaking: New York Yankees take another “major step” toward signing 25-year-old on Monday
The New York Yankees are reportedly set to take a major step closer to potentially signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto this week.
Now with Shohei Ohtani ending his grand jaunt into free agency over the weekend, via a 10-year and $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, some other major dominoes should fall. And there may be no bigger piece on this year’s free agent board after the reigning American League MVP than Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The 25-year-old hasn’t thrown one pitch in MLB, however, after winning three MVP awards in Japan’s top baseball league there has been an absurd amount of hype surrounding the Orix Buffaloes star. With starting pitching always at a premium, close to half the league has shown interest, including many big-market clubs.
One of the organizations that has been pursuing Yamamoto is the Yankees. The Pinstripes already made one of the biggest splashes of the offseason when they made a blockbuster trade for All-Star Juan Soto. However, an impact arm behind reigning American Cy Young Gerrit Cole was a top priority this winter.
But they will have to battle it out against the endless wealth of rivals the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers for Yamamoto.
New York Yankees GM and owner to meet Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Monday
The Mets reportedly made major headway when owner Steve Cohen traveled to Japan two weeks ago to meet the pitcher and his representation in person. To show how serious he was about signing the ace pitcher. However, on Monday the Yanks will get their chance to swing the momentum back their way.
Earlier today, SNY reported that the organization is set to have its own meeting with Yamamoto on Monday as general manager Briand Cashman and owner Hal Steinbrenner pitch will pitch why he needs to play in the Bronx next season. There were rumors that former Yankees Hideki Matsui and Masahiro Tanaka might be a part of a meeting, however, that is reportedly untrue.
SNY MLB insider Andy Martino also reported in recent days that the Yankees “are in a solid position in this sweepstakes” for Yamamoto.
Yankees trade SS Trey Sweeney to Dodgers
The New York Yankees traded shortstop prospect Trey Sweeney to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday. In exchange for the 2021 first-round pick, the Dodgers are sending left-handed reliever Victor Gonzalez and minor league infielder Jorbit Vivas to New York. The move clears 40-man roster spots on the Dodgers for Shohei Ohtani and Joe Kelly. Sweeney, 23, was the 20th overall selection in 2020 out of Eastern Illinois. He batted .252 with 13 homers, 49 RBIs and 20 stolen bases in 100 games at Double-A Somerset last season.
Gonzalez, 28, went 3-3 with a 4.01 ERA in 34 games (one start) with the Dodgers in 2023. He is 9-4 with one save and a 3.22 ERA in 93 career games (three starts) with Los Angeles since 2020. Vivas, 22, split last season between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City and batted .269 with 13 homers, 63 RBIs and 25 stolen bases in 135 games. Defensively he played second and third base.
