Several teams are concentrating on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, including the New York Mets. Since his entry into the Japanese league in 2017, he has been a pitcher of All-Star caliber.
In addition, Yamamoto had one of his best seasons to date last year, recording a 1.21 ERA and 169 strikeouts. Although they have been keeping an eye on him since the beginning of free agency, the Mets are not currently regarded as the overwhelming favorites to land him in his ideal location. In the event that a deal with Yamamoto falls through, the Mets have two options.
Plan A: Snell or Monty?
Both of these pitchers have drawn some interest from the Mets, who see them as backup options in the event that Yamamoto decides to sign with another team. Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell both had amazing years in 2018. Snell won his second Cy Young Award, and Montgomery silenced his naysayers by demonstrating why he is a valuable pitcher to have in the postseason. Although the chances of the Mets switching to Montgomery are higher, it is not that easy.
When it comes to signing a deal in 2024, Montgomery reportedly plans to refer to Carlos Rodon’s Yankees contract as a model. Although it may not be in the best interest of the Mets to put everything on the line for him this year, he deserves to be paid. Although the Mets have the talent, they do not plan to contend for at least a few years. With all of this information, the big question is: Should the Mets wait to sign that impact starter until free agency in 2019?
Plan B: Should the Mets invest heavily in an SP in 2025?
There are an abundance of elite free-agent pitchers available in the market for 2025. Walker Buehler, Corbin Burnes, Zack Wheeler, and Max Fried are on this list. The main distinction between Yamamoto and these pitchers is that the latter have already made an MLB reputation for themselves after years of development. Despite Yamamoto’s exceptional success in the Japanese league, it is not as competitive as the Major League Baseball. Numerous teams, such as the Mets, would bet on Yamamoto’s performance and hope that he continues to perform well after making the jump to the major leagues.
Supporters must also consider how much Yamamoto will eventually cost. Now that Shohei Ohtani is not available, the bidding war has just started and he is the most sought-after free agent. It is anticipated that he will earn much more than $300 million. Will the Mets reach a breaking point if his salary approaches $400 million? Given that it aligns with their timeline, the team may find that waiting just a year is the better course of action in this situation. Next year, the Mets would be in a much better position solely because they would be able to bring up most of their top prospects and would be a lot more willing to go after other big names in the free-agent pool.
The dinner that Yamamoto had at Steve Cohen’s house after the star pitcher asked for a second meeting is working in the Mets’ favor. The Dodgers are still in the picture even with Tyler Glasnow, and he has also asked for a second meeting with the Yankees. Though his free agency has undoubtedly been memorable, we won’t know what uniform he will wear in 2024 until time passes.