MLB free agency is officially open, and the hot stove is cookin’.
Rumors are swirling about many of the game’s top stars and where they might play in 2024.
One name on everyone’s minds — outside of Shohei Ohtani, of course — is Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
FOX Sports MLB Analyst Jordan Shusterman ranks Yamamoto as the second-best overall free agent this offseason.
Which team will the Japanese phenom suit up for next season?
Let’s jump into the latest betting odds.
YAMAMOTO’S NEXT TEAM ODDS: *
New York Mets: +220 (bet $10 to win $32)
Boston Red Sox: +400 (bet $10 to win $50)
Los Angeles Dodgers: +450 (bet $10 to win $55)
New York Yankees: +550 (bet $10 to win $65)
Chicago Cubs: +600 (bet $10 to win $70)
San Francisco Giants: +900 (bet $10 to win $100)
Field (any other team): +1000 (bet $10 to win $110)
St. Louis Cardinals: +1100 (bet $10 to win $120)
Philadelphia Phillies: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130)
Texas Rangers: +1500 (bet $10 to win $160)
Seattle Mariners: +1500 (bet $10 to win $160)
Houston Astros: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190)
*odds as of 11/14/23
Roki Sasaki squared off against Yoshinobu Yamamoto in a legendary matchup in the NPB
Yamamoto is arguably the biggest star to come out of Japan since Ohtani’s arrival in America in late 2017. The 25-year-old right-handed pitcher recorded a 1.82 ERA in nearly 900 innings pitched during his seven seasons with the Orix Buffaloes of NPB.
In 2023, he registered a 1.16 ERA with a 17-6 record and threw his second career no-hitter. Yamamoto also helped Japan win the World Baseball Classic this spring.
Yamamoto will reportedly be posted sometime within the next week. Once he’s posted, teams will reportedly have 45 days to negotiate and agree to a deal with Yamamoto, who some insiders think might sign a $200 million contract.
“Yamamoto earns the top non-Ohtani spot in the rankings and appears in a strong position to command a similar if not greater deal than the seven-year, $155 million megadeal Masahiro Tanaka signed with the Yankees a decade ago when he too was entering his age-25 season after sufficiently proving his worth in NPB,” Shusterman wrote of the budding MLB ace.
New York Mets +220
Ahead of Yamamoto’s posting, the Mets are slight favorites ahead of the rest of the field to sign him.
There have already been numerous reports and rumors that the Mets plan to make a strong push to sign Yamamoto. The Mets are “all over” the Japanese phenom, SNY reported.
Yamamoto is also seeking to play in a big market and fellow Japanese player Kodai Senga’s presence on the Mets could also help as the Mets pitcher “vocalized wanting” Yamamoto to the team, The Athletic reported.
Boston Red Sox +400
Could Yamamoto be reunited with former Orix Buffaloes teammate Masataka Yoshida in Boston?
The Red Sox are expected to be among the several bidders to try and land Yamamoto this offseason as they’re targeting a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher, according to ESPN. New Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow recently said that the team could use a bona fide starting pitcher or two.
Los Angeles Dodgers +450
The Dodgers are already the betting favorite to land Ohtani, but could they add Yamamoto, too?
That obviously remains to be seen, but the Dodgers have Yamamoto “high” on their offseason wishlist, USA Today reported back in October. The Dodgers could also use some pitching help, as their rotation depth was hampered this past season.
New York Yankees +550
Similarly to the Mets, the Yankees are considered to be “strong contenders” to sign Yamamoto this offseason, according to SNY.
New York has some prior history of signing players out of Japan, adding Hideki Matsui back in 2003 and the aforementioned Tanaka in 2014.
Chicago Cubs +600
The Cubs also seem primed to be in the mix to land a big free agent this offseason, as they recently climbed up the oddsboard to land Ohtani, holding the second-best odds to sign the two-way superstar.
As ESPN reported that the Cubs will be among those who’ll bid for Yamamoto, Shusterman didn’t list the team on the North Side as a possible fit.
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