The New York Mets want to make a statement.
They have been out of the Shohei Ohtani race for a few days now (barring a surprise late surge).
However, that doesn’t mean they aren’t working during the offseason.
Needing an impact starter or two, the Mets have prioritized their pursuit of Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Yamamoto introduced himself to international audiences with 7.1 innings of a 2.45 ERA in the World Baseball Classic, where he also walked two and struck out a whopping 12 hitters.
Then, he went on to post a 1.21 ERA in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league, in 164 innings.
He struck out 169 hitters and won the Eiji Sawamura and the Pacific League MVP awards for the third straight year.
There is a lot of competition for Yamamoto, perhaps just as much (if not more) than there is for Ohtani.
But the Mets are certainly doing their best to lure him to Queens.
“Mets owner Steve Cohen flew to Japan last week to meet with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, league sources told @TheAthletic,” Mets insider Will Sammon tweeted.
Mets owner Steve Cohen flew to Japan last week to meet with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, league sources told @TheAthletic.
— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) December 6, 2023
Yamamoto is expected to meet MLB teams in America in the upcoming days.
However, the fact that Cohen traveled to Japan and made an effort to stand out might prove important in the pitcher’s decision making-process.
The Mets don’t have Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander anymore, but they could have a strong rotation with Kodai Senga, Yamamoto, Jose Quintana, and recent signing Luis Severino.
If they bring in Yamamoto and play their cards right in the rest of the offseason, there is a good chance they can compete in 2024.
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