Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a Japanese superstar, appeared to be the only player the New York Mets were willing to spend a significant amount of money on this offseason.
They never truly wanted to offer Shohei Ohtani the kind of contract he eventually got, despite hopes that they would get the best player in the game.
Yamamoto, on the other hand, was seen as their potential staff ace, paired with Kodai Senga.
The Mets don’t envision themselves as contenders going into the 2024 season, so they seem comfortable with lower-level moves after failing to sign him.
They are still trying to sign some more arms because their current rotation isn’t the best.
New York’s pursuit of Shota Shota Imanaga, another Japanese pitcher, was a logical turnabout.
Although Imanaga is highly skilled, she is not as well-known as Yamamoto. Imanaga’s salary, which fits considerably more in line with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ rebuilding approach, projected to be around a third of what the Mets gave the youngster prior to his signing.
However, when he revealed that the Mets were not among the four finalists, longtime MLB executive Jim Bowden appeared to put an end to any hopes they may sign the left-handed starter.
Joel Sherman of The New York Post claims that New York and the Japanese celebrity are still in contact, nevertheless.
“And they have remained in contact with lefty Shota Imanaga … Imanaga has to make a decision in the next few days because a contract has to be finalized — not just an agreement, but a completed physical and a signed document — by the end of the posting period. For Imanaga, that is [Jan. 11] at 5 p.m. So there is urgency to get an agreement at least a day or two before that,” he reports.
Sherman claims that worries over a shoulder surgery he underwent in 2020 may possibly be lowering the value of his supposed $100 million contract.
It’s unclear if this benefits or impedes New York.
In theory, organizations may be more willing to take a risk on the 30-year-old if his worth drops. He pitched more than 1,000 innings and finished 165 games in Nippon Professional Baseball, posting a career ERA of 3.18.
It’s also possible that Bowden is receiving information from his sources that Sherman is not.
It’s possible that the Mets get eliminated from the Imanaga competition.
However, given his upcoming timeframe, it appears like they’ll find out where they stand sooner rather than later.