Red Sox Reportedly Scouted Japanese Ace With Free Agency Looming
The Boston Red Sox have long-scouted Japan's top hurler and almost certainly will make a strong bid for his services when he is posted this winter.
As the offseason nears, rumors continue to swirl, and the Red Sox have remained right in the mix any time the top international free agent is mentioned.
"The Yankees, Mets, Red Sox and Cardinals were among at least 10 teams to scout Orix Buffaloes right-handed star Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s start Wednesday, and he impressed over seven scoreless innings with poise, focus and athleticism, and also with several solid-to-plus pitches -- including a four-seamer up to 97 mph, cutter, curveball and splitter," The New York Post's Jon Heyman wrote Thursday.
The 25-year-old is 12-5 with a ridiculous 1.42 ERA, 128-to-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 0.93 WHIP in 127 innings this season across 18 games this season in the Nippon Baseball League.
Over the course of his generational career, the Japanese superstar is 66-28 with a 1.87 ERA, 881-to-198 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 0.94 WHIP in 860 innings across 167 games.
The Red Sox have been seen scouting him in the past and would be a fantastic fit for Yamamoto for so many reasons. The right-hander has a rare blend of having a lengthy track record of dominance while being in the prime of his career -- arguably before his prime.
The Red Sox just reset the luxury tax and can spend heavily over the winter without repercussions. As an added bonus, Boston could sign Yamamoto and maintain all draft compensation. Most frontline starters will have a qualified offer attached to them but that is not possible for international free agents.
Yamamato's Orix Buffaloes and World Baseball Classic teammate Masataka Yoshida already resides in Boston -- where he has acclimated nicely to Major League Baseball. Hopefully, he could be influential in the Red Sox's upcoming recruiting pitch.
Boston could desperately use Yamamoto's services and should be considered a favorite to land him.
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