Philadelphia Phillies meet with Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto: report
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Philadelphia Phillies met with Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Thursday, MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported.
After Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Yamamoto is the top player on the market and the Phillies appear to be in the mix, even after re-signing Aaron Nola to a seven-year, $172 million deal.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is meeting with a Phillies contingent today
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 14, 2023
Yamamoto has played for the Orix Buffaloes since 2017 in the Nippon Professional Baseball league -- the highest level of baseball in Japan and the 25-year-old has an impressive resume.
Yamamoto has won the Pacific League MVP and Triple Crown the past three seasons in Japan. He's also won three straight Eiji Sawamura Awards, which is the NPB equivalent to the Cy Young Award.
Since making his debut in 2017, Yamamoto is 70-29 with a 1.82 ERA and 922 strikeouts. He's also recorded two no-hitters -- one in 2022 and 2023.
The Phillies aren't alone in their pursuit for Yamamoto. Teams like the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, among others are all interested in the talented righty. The Mets have reportedly already met with Yamamato.
Multiple league sources told CBS Sports they expect Yamamoto's contract to clear the $300 million mark, and that's not accounting for the posting fee going back to the Buffaloes.
If that happens, Yamamoto's contract would qualify as the largest ever given to a player transferring from the NPB.
Phillies superstar Bryce Harper was reportedly involved in making a pitch to recruitment Yamamoto.