Chicago Cubs President Jed Hoyer Personally Scouting Japanese Phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Yamamoto has dominated Nippon Professional Baseball over the past three seasons. The Orix Buffaloes ace is 68-28 with a miniscule 1.84 ERA since 2017. He's fresh off his second career no-hitter and is on pace for his third straight sub-2.00 ERA season. 

Scouts have compared Yamamoto to Masahiro Tanaka, who signed a 7-year, $155 million deal with the Yankees in 2014. Some even rank Yamamoto a full grade above Kodai Senga, who earned an All-Star nod in his first MLB season with the New York Mets.

At just 25 years of age, Yamamoto may command a contract north of $200 million this offseason. The Cubs, with a 2023 payroll already over $166 million, may need to spend big this offseason to acquire the coveted free agent.

While Hoyer's trip demonstrates Chicago's serious interest in the Japanese righty, Yamamoto will have no shortage of MLB suitors. With 29 teams scouting his most recent start, it is already certain that multiple teams will be making serious offers vying for his services. It has already been reported that the New York Yankees intend to offer the 25-year-old a massive contract this offseason. 

With a glaring need for pitching, Chicago appears to be making Yamamoto a priority heading into this offseason. The Cubs appear to be on the outside looking in for Shohei Ohtani's services, so finding pitching elsewhere is essential. Hoyer and the Cubs will need to prepare a strong offer if they want a shot at landing one of the hottest commodities on the market this winter.