Philadelphia Phillies Superstar Involved in Recruiting Japanese Phenom

The Philadelphia Phillies landed one of their biggest pieces of the offseason early on, but that's not stopping the front office or their superstar from trying to add another elite player.

One of the biggest dominoes in the free agency game was removed from the board after Aaron Nola re-signed with the Philadelphia Phillies.

His seven-year, $172 million contract locks him down as the top-of-the-rotation guy for seasons to come alongside Zack Wheeler.

Dave Dombrowski had stated this was their No. 1 priority during the offseason and would do everything to try and get Nola back. If he left, then they would turn elsewhere to replace his production.

Luckily for everyone involved, that is no longer necessary.

So, with Nola now back on the Phillies, they'll have a much quieter end to the year as they get ready for 2024, right?

Don't be so sure.

Philadelphia is still expected to pursue other arms in free agency and one of the top prizes left on the board is Japanese phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was posted by his team on Monday.

There has been a lot of excitement surrounding the talented 25-year-old pitcher who is a two-time Pacific League MVP and three-time Sawamura Award winner, which is Japan’s Cy Young award.

It also appears that the Phillies superstar is leading the charge to sign Yamamoto.

According to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, "Bryce Harper was involved in making a pitch to Yamamoto’s camp, which included a sizzle reel."

Harper has been active in the past in trying to court other players to come to Philadelphia. He's one of the most respected guys in baseball and has constantly assisted the organization in whatever they need.

Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer also shed some light on the situation based on what sources are telling her.

"They plan to be 'pretty aggressive' in pursuing him, but if they don’t settle on the right price, they won’t push for a deal," she writes.

Yamamoto is expected to get upwards of $200 million this offseason as he makes his transition to the MLB from Japan. Signing him would cause the Phillies to potentially try and shed salary in other places on their roster.

Still, getting the phenom into the mix to pair with Wheeler and Nola for years to come would be the best rotation in baseball and could help the franchise bring home their first World Series since 2008.