Cardinals Fan Favorite's Relationship With Free-Agent Ace Could Aid Recruiting Efforts
It's no secret that the St. Louis Cardinals are hunting for pitchers this offseason and will be looking to land at least one of the top arms on the market.
With pitchers being the hottest commodities on the market this winter, St. Louis will need to pull all the strings they have to revive their rotation.
Fortunately, St. Louis outfielder Lars Nootbaar's friendship with the most-coveted arm available might just help the Cardinals acquire the ace they're looking for.
“My mom talks to (Yamamoto’s) mom daily,” Nootbaar told MLB.com's John Denton. “I went and saw him throw in his first playoff game, and I sat with his mom at the game. We chatted a little bit, but there wasn’t anything that I could tell her that she didn’t already know because my mom had already filled her in (about Nootbaar playing for the Cardinals).
"Yoshi and Roki Sasaki, the flamethrower and young kid, our moms all talk daily. I have a great relationship with both of those guys, and now that Yoshi is coming over to MLB, I’ve been talking to him a little bit more, and I plan on seeing him again later this offseason.”
Nootbar and Yamamoto were teammates representing Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, where they defeated the United States to earn the country's third championship.
Yamamoto posted a 16-6 record with a 1.21 ERA, 169-to-28 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 0.88 WHIP in 164 innings across 23 starts for Orix Buffaloes in 2023.
The 25-year-old Japanese sensation is entering the league with high expectations and such expectations will come high bidding.
Big-spending ballclubs such as the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants are expected to be contenders for landing Yamamoto among others.
The Cardinals will surely have the odds stacked up against them in their pursuit of Yamamoto but perhaps the presence of Nootbar on the team will encourage the young ace to come to St. Louis.
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