Red Sox Reportedly 'Feel Confident' In Pursuit Of Japanese Superstar

Boston could use a big win in free agency

Scott Neville | Dec 21, 2023

Red Sox Reportedly 'Feel Confident' In Pursuit Of Japanese Superstar /

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Boston Red Sox

Will the Boston Red Sox shock the Major League Baseball world by acquiring the top starting pitcher on the market?

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is looking to make a splash in his first season as the leader of baseball operations and has his eye on the most intriguing free agent on the market: Japanese superstar Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

"The Red Sox may not have gotten a second in-person interview after the initial meeting with him in Los Angeles last week, but team sources still feel confident in their pursuit of him," The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey wrote Wednesday. "There is a belief the team is willing to go outside its comfort zone for a deal with Yamamoto, but how far outside that comfort zone remains the question. Yamamoto has taken a very deliberate approach in researching teams he’s interested in and the Red Sox may offer some enticing intangibles.

"In addition to playing alongside his good friend (Masataka) Yoshida, the Red Sox have three Japanese-speaking members of their training staff. Yamamoto’s mobility routine is a key aspect of his training regimen and while it’s a small detail, it could go a long way. However, money talks and the Red Sox have been quiet of late. If they’ve been holding out for anyone, Yamamoto is the one on which to splurge."

It's not worth following the trends of national writers to see who the favorite is, it's pretty clear nobody truly knows, likely including Yamamoto -- if he did, he'd probably already have signed.

It's just good to know the Red Sox feel like they are in the mix and more importantly, seem financially committed to the idea of battling the other heavyweight organizations.

Now we continue to wait and see... mostly wait actually.

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Published Dec 21, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu