New York Yankees’ Japanese Ace Pursuit Sees Another Roadblock With Giants Emerging as Potential Suitors Amidst Crowded Free Agency Race

Published 10/20/2023, 2:17 PM EDT

The best Japanese “starting pitchers in the world” is coming to MLB in 2024. Since this fact has been established, MLB enthusiasts are trying to figure out the best landing spot for the 25-year-old Japanese pitcher. While the New York Yankees have been emerging as a potent contender to the 25-year-old pitcher’s pursuit, they again faced a scary rival. As speculations are going forward, a renowned reporter pointed out the San Francisco Giants as another potent possibility.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto will undoubtedly be one of the most valuable free agents in this season. With his stats, he can be a great fit for several teams. However, until now, the Giants were not really on the list, but suddenly they came at the top of it. The Athletic’s reporter Andrew Baggarly’s current information about the Giants made things more twisted for the Yankees.

San Francisco Giants Canceled Their Priorities For Yamamoto

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As the free agency is approaching, teams are making their list to approach players. While the Giants have more important works pending, Baggarly said, they have canceled them to scout for the 25-year-old Japanese pitcher. Even the source reported the team held their search for their new manager to plan their strategy to get Yamamoto.

Since Brian Cashman witnessed the second no-hitter game of Yamamoto, fans associated the star with the team. The GM has been silent the entire time, but fans assumed that they would chase the Japanese pitcher. Besides Gerrit Cole, no other Yankees pitcher performed this season. So, to give their defense a sturdy look, they need a talented pitcher, and who can be a better option than Yamamoto?

At the same time, the Giants also require a pitcher to strengthen their lineup and return to the 2024 playoffs. After they created the 107 winnings record in 2021, their seasons are not really going well. Even the President of baseball operations, Farhan Zaidi, made his trip to Japan to watch the game of Yamamoto. Though the visit was not as impressive as it was for Cashman, the Giants still did not lose their hopes. During Zaidi’s visit, Yamamoto pitched seven innings and gave away 10 hits and 5 runs.

However, per NBC Sports Alex Pavlovic, “He’s really one of the top starting pitchers in the world. I know it sounds like an exaggeration, but it’s not.” Probably the Giants also believe the same and are eyeing the pitcher, leaving everything behind.

Another point of the story is that this year, Zaidi must compensate for his last year’s failures.

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Zaidi’s 2022 Free Agency Offers Were Rejected

The last winter was the worst for the San Francisco Giants. During last year’s free agency, the Giants offered Aaron Judge, but he rejected it. Judge chose to stay with the Yankees instead. Their Carlos Correa chase also failed due to some issues before finalizing the contract. These two were the two greatest losses. However, Yamamoto can just fill up for these if he joins the Giants. While he can make up for the losses, he can also be a great addition to their pitching lineup.

Struggling $162M Yankees Pitcher Earns Top Spot on Unwanted List as Fans Give Ultimate Verdict on Debut Season Letdown

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Until the free agency comes, it is impossible to say which team will get the rising Japanese talent, but he will get some hefty offers for sure.

Watch the Story: New York’s Nightmare: Aaron Judge’s Injury Update Crushes Hope For the Yankees, Labelling Them a Fraud Franchise

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Written by:

Antara Bhattacharyya is an MLB writer at EssentiallySports. With a graduation degree in English literature from a reputed institution, she has been actively involved in content writing for quite some time. Her love for sports writing dates back to her college days, and today, she has cemented her place with astute coverage of Major League Baseball.

Edited by:

Gokul Pillai

New York Yankees’ Japanese Ace Pursuit Sees Another Roadblock With Giants Emerging as Potential Suitors Amidst Crowded Free Agency Race

San Francisco Giants Canceled Their Priorities For Yamamoto

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Zaidi’s 2022 Free Agency Offers Were Rejected