Watch: MLB insider names 'front-runner' for Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Its officially open season for teams to offer contracts to highly coveted free-agent pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
After meeting with a number of major league clubs over the past week, MLB Network's Jon Morosi said Tuesday that he still sees the New York Yankees as the favorites to land the 25-year-old Japanese star.
"We do believe Yamamoto will sign before the end of the year, if not the end of the week. I said yesterday that the Yankees are viewed by many as the front-runner, and I still think that is the case," Morosi said.
"It would take, I believe, a tremendous offer from either the Mets or the Dodgers to pull him away from the Yankees, but I think it will be one of those three teams."
Yamamoto reportedly met with the Yankees for a second time on Dec. 17 after his tour around the league, and Morosi also reported that Yamamoto wants to perform on the "biggest stage" in MLB.
If the Yankees manage to land their second major splash of the offseason after trading with the Padres for star outfielder Juan Soto, general manager Brian Cashman should remain active in the pitching market.
Gerrit Cole won his first Cy Young Award in 2023, but the Yankees starting rotation is a blurry picture behind him.
The Yanks signed Carlos Rodon last offseason to a six-year, $162 million contract, but a back injury kept him sidelined until July. When he finally did take the mound, he struggled, going 3-8 with a 6.85 ERA in 14 starts. New York was also depending on fan-favorite Nestor Cortes Jr. to follow up his All-Star 2022 season but was disappointed.
Injuries derailed his season as well, making just 12 starts after starting the season with a hamstring issue he picked up at the World Baseball classic.
Heading into 2024, those names are the closest to "sure things" New York has behind Cole.
The Yankees also sent away three pitchers who started at least five contests in 2023 in the Soto trade and parted ways with Luis Severino and Domingo German. Those may turn out to be the right decisions, but the innings still need to be replaced.
Frankie Montas should be healthy in 2024, and Clarke Schmidt is entering his second season as a full-time major league starter. However, neither will instill much confidence in Yankee fans for a playoff run.
Whether it's a reunion with World Series champion Jordan Montgomery or a trade for Dylan Cease from the Chicago White Sox, another top-line starter would go a long way toward the Yankees making it back to the Fall Classic for the first time since 2009.
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