Yoshinobu Yamamoto appeared to be courted by the New York Mets, who then signed him. They made the largest contract offer to the Japanese ace after two meetings, one of which including a trip to Japan.
According to Will Sammon of The Athletic, it just so happened that Yamamoto returned their $325 million, 12-year offer to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who matched it on Thursday night.
Was Yamamoto trying to get more money from the Dodgers by using Cohen and his large resources? The Mets raised their offer on Thursday “from the high $200 million range,” and the Yankees responded with their own, according to SNY’s Andy Martino.
Should the Dodgers not have raised their offer, would Yamamoto have signed with the Mets? Did he think the Yankees, with their illustrious history of signing Japanese athletes, were more appealing than the Mets despite the latter’s cheaper offer ($300 million over ten years)?
Unfortunately, Yamamoto is moving to Los Angeles to play with another Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani. Los Angeles has spent over $1 billion in the summer, including extending Tyler Glasnow’s contract following a trade.
In the end, the 25-year-old may have cared most about the Mets’ lack of a compelling sales pitch—winning a World Series now and several more times throughout his deal. Right now, the rosters are incomparable since the Dodgers include some of the greatest names in baseball, including Walker Buehler, Mookie Betts, Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman.
David Stearns, president of baseball operations for the Mets, wants to create a winning team in the style of the Dodgers, but it will take time, and Cohen’s large salary won’t ensure a speedy remedy. The team’s 75-87 record from the previous season is evidence of that, following a lavish offseason.