The Philadelphia Phillies are interested in 25-year-old Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, according to Phillies insider Jim Salisbury.
"I hear they have legit interest in Yamamoto, and to me it makes a ton of sense," Salisbury said of the Phillies on Tuesday's 94WIP Midday Show with Hugh Douglas and Joe Giglio. "They might be a long shot, like I said given their lack of history with Japanese players, but so what? Go out and be aggressive and he might be an awfully good one to add because he's an immediate contributor and someone who is going to be around for awhile.
"You seem his loosely connected to the Phillies, you more see him connected to the usual suspects like the two New Yorks, the Dodgers. To me, the Phillies are a big market team with a very aggressive owner, a very aggressive front office and an intense and huge will to win and a will to spend money. I know they don't have history with Japanese players, but why not start one?
"Him and Nola would be the two guys I'd be all over in free-agency and I do believe the Phillies will be all over both of those guys."
The 25-year-old right-handed pitcher in the Nippon Professional Baseball league in Japan.
He represented Japan in the 2019 and 2023 World Baseball Classic tournaments, helping them win it all in 2023.
The 5'10" pitcher throws a fastball averaging 95 miles per hour, plus a splitter, cutter and curveball and is expected to be a star pitcher in Major League Baseball.