Red Sox set to meet with Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto

BOSTON -- The Red Sox are getting a seat at the table with one of the biggest free agents left this offseason. Boston will meet with Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto at some point over the next few days.

That comes according to MLB Network insider Mark Feinsand, who adds that the Blue Jays and a few others teams will also meet with Yamamoto. The New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and the San Francisco Giants have already met with the 25-year-old phenom, who is meeting with teams in California.

So the Red Sox will have plenty of competition for the young and accomplished pitcher, who will likely command a contract worth between $250 million and $300 million. Yamamoto has until Jan 4. to sign with a team, but reportedly doesn't want to wait around that long.

It would be a huge investment on someone who has never thrown a pitch in Major League Baseball, but Yamamoto is expected to fit right in as an MLB ace after his successful career with the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball. A hard-throwing righty, Yamamoto went 16-6 with a 1.21 ERA, a 0.88 WHIP, and 169 strikeouts over 164 innings for the Buffaloes last season. He won the pitcher's Triple Crown last season, and won both the Pacific League MVP and the Sawamura Award -- the NPB's equivalent to the Cy Young Award -- for the third straight season. 

Over his seven seasons with Orix, Yamamoto posted a 70-29 record with a 1.82 ERA and 0.935 WHIP. He struck out 922 batters in his 891 innings of work since turning pro in 2017 when he was just 18 years old.

Now he's set to bring his talents to Major League Baseball, and the Red Sox will at least get a chance to make their pitch. New chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has stated that pitching is the team's biggest priority, and given the state of the team's rotation, Boston could use at least one starter this winter.

Landing the best available starter on the market would be a huge get for the Red Sox, and a sign that ownership is once again committed to invest in a winning product on the field.