Yoshinobu Yamamoto Had Dinner With Mets Owner Amid Free Agency Tour, per Report

He will reportedly sign a deal before the new year.

Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto had dinner at Mets owner Steve Cohen’s house on Saturday night as he continues to weight his options in free agency, according to the New York Post’s Joel Sherman. Cohen’s wife, Alex, along with New York president David Stearns, manager Carlos Mendoza and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner were all in attendance. 

Thanks to Cohen’s aggression, it appears that the Mets are in the mix to land the Japanese star in what is going to be a costly bidding war. The window to sign Yamamoto closes on 5 p.m. on Jan. 4 and a deal is expected to be reached before the new year, per the report. 

Yamamoto is also expected to meet with the Yankees as soon as Sunday while he’s in the area, according to SNY’s Andy Martino. Besides the New York franchises, the Dodgers and Red Sox are also in the running for the coveted 25-year-old. 

The young ace is a three-time Pacific League MVP and Eiji Sawamura Award winner in Japan, totaling an ERA under 2.00 in each of his last three seasons.