The Phillies made an important rotation move already this offseason by re-signing Aaron Nola. If they can get Yoshinobu Yamamoto though, that slingshots their core of starters to another level.
As it stands now, Philly has Zach Wheeler atop the rotation, with Nola, Ranger Suarez, Taijuan Walker and Christopher Sanchez behind him. That’s an impressive group already, but the Phillies might not be done, with Audacy MLB insider Jon Heyman linking them to Yamamoto.
A 25-year-old ace in Japan, Yamamoto is the most sought-after pitcher in free agency. The Phils are one of seven teams said to be in on him, with the Mets, Yankees, Giants, Dodgers, Red Sox and Blue Jays reportedly the others. With that many teams involved, a bidding war could play out that would send his contract value north of $300 million. But the Phillies have shown a willingness to spend, and Yamamoto is thought to be one of the most electric arms around.
Former Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Thursday on the 94WIP Morning Show that he doesn’t need to be convinced the Phillies should go after Yamamoto.
“I do know that they really like the kid,” Amaro said. “There’s nothing not to like, this guy’s got an electric arm, he’s got great stuff. How he will perform here in the states, you just don’t know. But this guy’s pretty special. That said, I’m not surprised that the Phillies are in on him, I know that they like him, and I’m also not surprised that the name came out. I do believe that it’s Boras who’s out there, and he’s going to try to pit all the big market teams against each other and try to drive the price as much as possible.
“That said, you’ve got to love the fact that John Middleton and Dave Dombrowski and Sam Fuld are trying to do what’s necessary to try to get the best players. As a fan, you’ve got to love that. John Middleton wants to be a champion – not just for this year, not for next year, but for many, many years. That’s his goal, to be a legendary franchise. Doing that, you don’t have to convince me. If you add this guy to the top of this rotation, you are putting together maybe one of the best rotations – no doubt the best rotation in baseball, but maybe in quite some time.”
Yamamoto has to sign with an MLB team by January 4, though it’s expected he will sign well before that.