There are many players who have been newly made available to the MLB offseason free agency market and one rookie in particular might be the Dark Horse no one saw coming. Yoshinobu Yamamoto was posted by his club on the market a week ago. He has been garnering constant attention from the biggest clubhouses in the sport since then, and rightfully so.

Two of the teams in the race seem to have taken it to the next level by making it a money-vs.-money competition. They have other prospective free agents they could fish for; take Shohei Ohtani, for example. But Yamamoto comes with a certain set of conditions being absent in his availability that make him the perfect fit.

The Yoshinobu Yamamoto Battle of the New York Giants

Contrary to Ohtani’s affinity for a certain California-like location, Yamamoto has no such preferences for pitching. He also comes with a price tag that is about $300 million lower than that of the two-way phenom; that makes him both a good catch and a prized one, given the skill set he brings along. In the words of baseball columnist Jon Heyman, “It’s a rare Big Apple battle royale.”

The New York Yankees and the New York Mets last found themselves in such an overpowering race when they were angling for Dave Winfield. The Mets offered him a deal worth $1.2 million a year for eight years—a huge sum for that period. However, Winfield was snatched away from them by the Pinstripes after they offered him a deal with two years added to it, along with a provisional cost-of-living sum. That transformed their initial 10-year deal of $16 million into a $23 million deal.

The New Yorkers are not the only teams with big money to spend in the MLB anymore. But that isn’t stopping them from locking horns again a few decades down the road. For Yoshinobu Yamamoto, it can only mean one thing: he will be the eye of the storm of financial war between the two biggest baseball monoliths in the world. How will it affect his position on any of the given teams?

To Yamamoto or not to Yamamoto?

Whether he will choose finances over a proper lineup position is a fact that remains to be proven over time. However, given that Yamamoto does not have any pre-existing relationship with the New Yorkers other than a certain Mets connection, He also has a history of working with teams for long-term commitment. That clears up half of the challenges that the NY Giants would’ve faced while competing for other prospects, such as Juan Soto.

Read More: Top 5 Landing Spots for Yoshinobu Yamamoto as He Sets a Timetable for His $200M Free Agency

With the newfound vigor in the Clash of the Titans, whom will we see emerge with a winning bid for Yoshinobu Yamamoto? Let us know your deductions in the comments below!

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