As anticipated, the Orix Buffaloes will post ace right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto for MLB groups this offseason, the staff introduced Sunday (per the Japan Times). It will take a couple of days for the Buffaloes to report the applying and MLB to officially claim Yamamoto a free agent. Once that occurs, he’ll have 45 days to negotiate and signal with an MLB staff.
The announcement got here no longer lengthy after the Buffaloes dropped Sunday’s Game 7 of the Japan Series to the Hanshin Tigers. It is the Tigers’ first championship since 1985 and the second one championship in franchise historical past. Yamamoto was once good in Game 6, hanging out a Japan Series document 14 batters to pressure the decisive Game 7.
The 25-year-old Yamamoto went 17-6 with a 1.16 ERA and 176 strikeouts in 171 innings this season. He gained his 3rd consecutive pitching Triple Crown and in addition his 3rd consecutive Eiji Sawamura Award, which is Japan’s an identical to the Cy Young. Yamamoto is handiest the second one pitcher in historical past to win 3 instantly Sawamura Awards.
Yamamoto is our No. 2 free agent in the back of Shohei Ohtani. Here’s extra at the adorned right-hander:
Talent evaluators have raved to CBS Sports about Yamamoto for years, bringing up his high-grade command over a excellent arsenal as probably the most spectacular a part of his recreation. He throws a mid-90s fastball about part the time, complementing it with a swing-and-miss splitter and a high-spin curveball. Each of the ones pitches went for a strike no less than 65% of the time this season, reinforcing the perception that he paints with a fine-tip brush. There’s greater than sufficient precedent to really feel assured in Yamamoto making a very simple adjustment to the MLB ball and time table. In flip, there is no explanation why for groups to dangle again of their bidding, rendering it extremely most probably that he shatters Masahiro Tanaka’s document $155 million contract. Â
The New York Yankees signed Tanaka to that Japanese participant document seven-year, $155 million contract a decade in the past. Yamamoto is a superb guess to obtain $200 million this offseason, particularly bearing in mind the moderately skinny MLB free agent magnificence. Every staff (contenders, rebuilders, and so forth.) may justify pursuing Yamamoto given his age. He would are compatible any staff’s competition window.
Yamamoto isn’t the one high-end participant anticipated to make the bounce to MLB from Asia this offseason. Here’s what you wish to have to know about Korean heart fielder Jung Hoo Lee and Japanese lefty Shota Imanaga.