Amidst Interest in Japanese Ace, New York Yankees Target an NPB Pitcher Not Named Yoshinobu Yamamoto

One of the most surprising things of the 2023 season was the underperformance of the New York Yankees. The Bronx Bombers were coming off of an impressive 2022 season but found themselves sliding hard throughout the season. The team that started out as favorites for postseason glory couldn’t even manage to qualify for the playoffs. So they are actively going after players this offseason. Their name has connected with many players. But could they be surprising people with a signing not expected from them?

There is Juan Soto, they can target Shohei Ohtani too. But one name has suddenly popped up. A player played in NPB and no, it is not Yoshinobu Yamamoto. 

The New York Yankees are looking to sign Yariel Rodriguez

Although the New York Yankees’ real weakness is in its offensive line-up, the team is trying to strengthen its pitching as well. Even though they are targeting Japanese Ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, they may have found someone who can do the job for them as well.

Cuban pitcher Ariel Rodriguez played for Chunichi Dragons in NPB. In his 3 years with the team, Rodriguez had an ERA of 3.03. But he came onto his own in 2022. That year, he performed exceptionally well and had an ERA of 1.15. He didn’t give up a Homerun in the entire season that year. 

The 27-year-old pitcher didn’t play in 2023, choosing to sit on the sidelines in order to get his move to MLB. Now that the Dragons have released him, he too has entered the market as a free agent. The market which is already looking for quality pitchers has expectedly reacted with interest and excitement.

The New York Yankees aren’t alone in their interest for the 27-year-old. The San Diego Padres, too, have shown their immense desire to sign Rodriguez. However, due to the payroll problem of the Pads, they’d have to do a lot of clearing up before signing him.

But this certainly adds another name to the growing list of players linked with the New York Yankees.

The Yankees look to shore up their squad during the offseason

The Pinstripes missed out on a postseason for the first time since 2016. As a result of which the X27 World Series winners were left jittered. The Yankees aren’t the force they used to be, having only won one World Series in 14 years. So the ownership has recognized that changes need to be made.

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First, the Bronx Bombers have hired an outside company to look at its analytics in order to find the mistakes that they are making. Second, the team is now actively getting involved in the offseason. With names like Juan Soto, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Yankees are seriously trying to improve their position. The team wants to prove that 2023 was just an anomaly and not a sign of a deep sitting rot. 

So now that the offseason is here, what will the Yankees do in order to turn the corner? Will they remember the lessons learned from 2023 or will they forget them? 

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