Red Sox's Top Priority, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Reportedly Closing In On Decision
Will Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow shock his fanbase by securing the top free agent in the baseball not named Shohei Ohtani?
The Red Sox are one of many suitors clamoring for Japanese superstar Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a 25-year-old phenom who is expected to become an instant bona fide ace in Major League Baseball.
The highly-coveted weapon reportedly is close to making his decision. Yamamoto is expected to sign with a team before Christmas according to SNY's Andy Martino.
Yamamoto opened his 45-day posting window on Nov. 21 and has until Jan. 4 at 5 p.m. ET. Apparently, he does not want to wait until the waning minutes of his deadline.
The hard-throwing righty posted a 16-6 record with a 1.21 ERA, 169-to-28 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 0.88 WHIP in 164 innings across 23 starts for Orix Buffaloes in 2023.
Yamamoto has drawn serious interest from the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants as well as a number of other reported suitors.
While it is unknown if the Red Sox have had a meeting with Yamamoto since his first round of Zoom calls, MLB Network's Jon Morosi has been insistent on Breslow's prioritization of the young star.
Given the way that the Red Sox have run the last few seasons, it's hard to be optimistic about the organization's commitment to spending what could end up being $300 million in free agency to one semi-unproven player.
While the fans should be rooting hard for the acquisition of Yamamoto, his signing in Boston or elsewhere will come with one silver lining. Once he signs, the pitching market will finally resume.
Impact starters such as Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery can fall into line, which will spark a domino effect for the entire market. The Red Sox will add multiple arms to their rotation, it's just a matter of the quality that remains in question.
If the Red Sox could lure Yamamoto to Boston, they'd automatically be back in position to field a competitive team for 2024 and beyond. From there, they'd be one more mid-level starter such as Seth Lugo and a few other ancillary pieces away from contention.
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