Latest Speculation Could Make Cardinals' Pursuit Of Yoshinobu Yamamoto Much More Likely
The St. Louis Cardinals need to add a top-tier starter this offseason.
St. Louis entered the offseason needing to add at least three new starters to the rotation. The Cardinals already have added two in Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson, but the club has more work to do. Lynn and Gibson should both help the Cardinals out in 2024, but neither are No. 1 starters at this point in their careers.
There are some intriguing hurlers out there in free agency and at this point, the Cardinals seemingly have been linked to each one in one way or another. The top free agent pitcher available -- not named Shohei Ohtani -- without a doubt is Orix Buffaloes ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The 25-year-old will be one of the most sought-after free agents this offseason and recently was posted by the Buffaloes for Major League Baseball clubs. It's unclear exactly where he will sign, but the latest chatter could be a good sign for the Cardinals.
Yamamoto's agent Joel Wolfe recently spoke to Yahoo Japan about the young star's preferences in free agency and one intriguing takeaway is that he would like to play with a fellow Japanese player.
While the most important thing ultimately will be if the Cardinals offer a contract comparable to the big market clubs like the New York Mets and Yankees, the fact that Yamamoto may want to play with another Japanese player could bode well for St. Louis. The Cardinals have Lars Nootbaar penciled in the starting lineup and he already has a relationship with Yamamoto. The two even went golfing recently and both posted about it on Instagram.
It's unclear what will happen but the Cardinals certainly have a chance to land the top available free-agent pitcher.
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