New York Mets Seen as Favorites for Japanese Star

With Yoshinobu Yamamoto expected to be posted soon, rival exec see the Mets as a favorite to sign him this offseason.

Now that the Orix Buffaloes have announced they will post star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto so that he can be acquired by an MLB team, the race is on to see which MLB team ends up with the next great Japanese pitcher.

The New York Mets have been among the teams connected to the right-hander throughout this season, going so far as to send scouts to a game in September in which he threw a no-hitter.

With the league’s general manager meetings going on this week in Scottsdale, Ariz., don’t expect any move on Yamamoto to be made. But, per USA Today, several MLB executive see the Mets as the favorite to land Yamamoto through the posting process.

Those same executives see Yamamoto getting a deal in excess of $200 million, something that would rival San Diego pitcher Blake Snell.

Per the Associated Press, Yamamoto made the request to be posted and the Buffaloes approved.

Yamamoto just wrapped up play in the Japan Series, their country’s equivalent of the World Series. His final game saw him strike out 14 hitters in Game 6, which set a series record.

Just 25 years old, Yamamoto has a 70-29 record. He has a mid-90s fastball, but he is best known for an array of breaking pitches that can befuddle hitters. This season he had just a 1.21 ERA. He also went 16-6 and struck out 169 hitters in 164 innings.

Yamamoto has thrown two no-hitters in his career. He’s also won gold medals for Japan in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Mets pitcher Kodai Senga, who is one of three finalists for NL Rookie of the Year, has already said he wants to recruit Yamamoto to pitch for the Mets.