Major League Baseball

Yankees, Dodgers or Mets? Predicting which team will sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Published Dec. 15, 2023 8:00 a.m. ET

Who is Yoshinobu Yamamoto and which team is he going to sign with this winter? There's a lot of speculation out there about the best pitcher in Japan.

The 25-year-old star has won three consecutive MVPs in Nippon Professional Baseball. From his fastball to his splitter, everything in his arsenal is electric. That will be on full display in MLB next year. But not before he signs for perhaps $300 million this winter, as every big-market club is interested in his services, including the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, and Giants.

Yamamoto has been meeting with teams throughout the month and will reportedly make a decision soon.

Here's what I think is going to happen next …

The Mets might make Yamamoto the biggest offer, but I expect him to ultimately decide between two teams: the Dodgers and the Yankees. The first thing that comes to mind with both is their potent offenses, especially with the respective additions of Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto. But if you pull up each team's current pitching rotation, neither is all that good.

Adding an arm like Yamamoto changes the complexion of a starting staff, especially for L.A. With Ohtani unable to pitch next year, Yamamoto would instantly become the Dodgers' ace. He might also be drawn to the opportunity to join Ohtani in the majors after the two led Japan to victory in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. With Ohtani agreeing to defer most of his record salary, expect L.A. to make an extremely competitive offer for Yamamoto.

And yet, I believe the Yankees will reel in the best pitcher in free agency to maximize their acquisition of Soto. Pairing Yamamoto with Gerrit Cole, who is coming off a Cy Young season, would give the Yankees maybe the best rotation in baseball.

I believe having both aces in its rotation would make New York the best team in the American League. The proud organization hasn't been to the World Series in 14 years. That could change next year. But first, the Yankees need to outbid their competition and land Yamamoto. He's that good.

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Ben Verlander offers his prediction on who signs Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Ben Verlander is an MLB Analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the "Flippin' Bats" podcast. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Verlander was an All-American at Old Dominion University before he joined his brother, Justin, in Detroit as a 14th-round pick of the Tigers in 2013. He spent five years in the Tigers organization. Follow him on Twitter @BenVerlander.