The New York Yankees are on an offseason high. After the disappointment that was last season, they have begun to come back strongly this winter. First, they announced the trade of Alex Verdugo and now they have finally got their number one target – Juan Soto. With the team going from strength to strength, the only one who can make their offseason even better is Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
With one main deal sorted, Yamamoto has become their top priority. This comes on the heels of the announcement of their upcoming meeting with the Samurai Japan ace. With the New York Mets going all in on the 25-year-old, the Yankees will have to do something truly magical to get the pitcher.
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Yoshinobu Yamamoto will meet the Yankees next week
The Yankees GM Brian Cashman was all praises for Yamamoto during his winter meetings presser. The Bronx squad has been heavily scouting the 3 time Pacific League MVP for at least a year. In that space, Cashman himself has seen him play, so the club’s interest in Yamamoto is evident.
But now with the Soto trade getting confirmed, nothing stops the Yankees from going all out for the Japanese ace. As the New York Post reported, Yamamoto will meet the Yankees on Monday. This can potentially be a make-or-break meeting for the Bronx Bombers as they have a huge rival waiting in the wings.
No doubt the Yankees are deep-pocketed but even they pale in comparison to Steve Cohen. With the multi-billionaire as their owner, the Mets can take the bidding to a level that even the Bombers would find tough to digest. Especially to fill their extreme pitcher shortage.
Yamamoto’s contract has gone above $300 million expectations. The higher it goes the more it will benefit the Mets. Even though they have the highest payroll, they wouldn’t mind increasing it a little for Yamamoto. They need him as much as the Yankees do.
Why do the Yankees need the ace?
Juan Soto’s deal has made the pitcher’s presence all the more necessary for the Yankees. They’ve traded their starter Michael King for Soto. In a lineup that was already devoid of quality starters, the team has just created another hole.
As a result, the Yankees need to sign Yamamoto. Not just to fill the gap but also to eliminate the steep decline in the quality of pitchers after Gerrit Cole. Yamamoto will give another weapon to them and provide dynamism to the squad.
The question remains, what will the meeting lead to?
Watch This Story: Mets Gear Up For Yamamoto Showdown: Going All In Amidst Intense Yankees Pursuit
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Edited by
Arunima Bhanot