Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s 2 free agency leaders could have domino effect for Juan Soto

The race for the 25-year-old Japanese ace is heating up.

As the MLB Winter Meetings roll on, a huge spotlight is on a right-handed pitcher from Japan with a devastating array of pitches, and the numerous clubs clamoring for his services.

We are of course talking about Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the 25-year-old right hander. Did you have someone else in mind?

While the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes get the spotlight, another massive storyline is Yamamoto, who was posted by his current team, the Orix Buffaloes, last month. Yamamoto is coming off another stellar season for the Buffaloes, which saw him earn Pacific League MVP honors for the third-straight time, tying a mark set by Ichiro Suzuki and Hisashi Yamada as the only players to secure such honors in three-consecutive seasons.

Yamamoto also won his third-straight Sawamura Award, the league’s Cy Young equivalent.

Last season for Orix, Yamamoto went 16-6 with a 1.21 ERA, and a remarkable WHIP of 0.884.

He also allowed just two home runs over his 164 innings of work.

The righty has four devastating pitches: A fastball, a curveball, a splitter, and a cutter, and as we outlined earlier this week thanks to his appearance at the World Baseball Classic last season, we now have data on just how tough those four pitches can be.

The most fascinating pitch in his arsenal? His “Ginoza” curveball, that sees him place his thumb upward as he releases the pitch:

According to recent reporting, the New York Yankees are perhaps the leaders in the chase. According to long-time writer Bob Klapisch of NJ.com, the organization is telling anyone who will listen that they are ahead of the pack.

However, as Klapisch also notes, the Yankees are not alone. The San Francisco Giants are also in talks with Yamamoto, and other big-market teams such as the Los Angeles Dodgers are in the mix. Given the expected price tag — widely believed to run north of $250 million — money is going to be a huge sticking point.

Yet, the Yankees appear to be pulling out all the stops. Klapish also reports that the team is meeting with Yamamoto next week, and will have Hideki Matsui along for the ride, to help outline how the transition to life in the Big Apple could go for Yamamoto.

Signing the right-handed pitcher may also be a huge domino for the Yankees, who are also in talks with the San Diego Padres regarding slugger Juan Soto. The two sides have begun discussing specific names, but a sticking point seems to be the pitchers involved in such a deal. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Padres are seeking Michael King, who the Yankees are unwilling to part with at the moment:

The Yankees anticipate King will be a big part of their rotation next year, given the current construction of the roster. After beginning the season in the bullpen, King was moved into a starter’s role as the season wound down, and posted a 2.23 ERA as a starter with a 5.67 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

So you can see why that Yankees might be unwilling to deal him, and why the Padres would be asking for him.

However, if Yamamoto were added to the rotation in New York, that might pave the way for a Soto deal to follow.

Again, the Yankees are not alone in their pursuit of Yamamoto, and the Giants are also confident of their pitch to the young hurler. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported earlier this week that there was a lot of buzz about the Giants, with many other organizations believing San Francisco might be in the lead for Yamamoto’s services:

But after a dismal season in the Bronx, the pressure is on to turn things around for the Yankees.

Signing Yamamoto, and then opening the door to a Soto deal, would be a good start.