A greater compliment may not exist than the New York Yankees‘ general manager admitting that baseball’s most storied franchise put everything on hold to pursue a free agent.
Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto received that honor in Brian Cashman’s latest string of comments.
Yankees Used Failed Yoshinobu Yamamoto Chase as a Springboard For Ensuing Deals
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ prized offseason acquisition was the Yankees’ main priority in hopes of stacking their pitching rotation, as Gary Phillips of The New York Daily News shared via Twitter:
The Yankees offered Yamamoto a multi-year deal worth $300 million. Though the Yankees’ pitch, market size, and illustrious history presented draws that were hard to refuse, Yamamoto was heavily influenced by his compatriot and reigning NL MVP Shohei Ohtani’s pitch after his move to the Dodgers.
The 12-year, $325 million contract the Dodgers put in front of Yamamoto goes without saying, of course.
The Yankees have been known to reel in top-of-the-line superstars in previous offseasons, and their pursuit of Yamamoto was one of their strongest since going after Philadelphia Phillies star slugger Bruce Harper in 2019.
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Yankees Rebounded Well With Marcus Stroman Acquisition
Fortunately, the Yankees were able to add to their pitching staff with their most recent acquisition of RHP Marcus Stroman. The 32-year-old’s .526 winning percentage and 3.95 ERA from a season ago gives the Yankees a reliable starter that will be able to deliver wins behind reigning AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole.
Yamamoto did not fall into the Yankees’ hand, and Cashman, along with the rest of the franchise, are prepared to make sure they don’t fall into his should they see each other in the 2024 World Series.