According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Japanese sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who may be eligible for free agency on Monday, is apparently of interest to the New York Yankees.
The New York Mets are also reportedly interested. Yamamoto is expected to instantly become an extremely popular free agent within the next week or so. There will be far more interest than just the Yankees and Mets, but both clubs will be worth keeping tabs on.
Both the Yankees and Mets are expected to monitor the top starting pitchers in MLB free agency. Both teams could try to make a trade as well, but free agency is probably their best option.
Yankees’ pitching questions
The Yankees are especially interesting. New York has Gerrit Cole, who just won the 2023 AL Cy Young award, leading their rotation. The question is whether or not pitchers such as Nestor Cortes and Carlos Rodon can bounce back and stay healthy.
New York features the potential to have one of baseball’s best starting pitching rotations. With that said, the rotation also could be near the bottom of the league if injuries play a big role once again.
Either way, adding pitching help is a priority this offseason. Sure, they could settle for middle-of-the-rotation arms capable of providing necessary depth. However, the Yankees have money to spend and Yoshinobu Yamamoto projects to be a future star. Having Cole and Yamamoto lead the rotation in 2024 should appeal to the Yankees.
We will continue to monitor and provide updates on the Yankees as they are made available.