“If there is an exception, Yamamoto”
The New York Mets, whose owner is ‘billionaire’ Steve Cohen, invested a lot of money to win the World Series ahead of this season to reinforce their strength. The Mets invested a whopping 700 billion won, starting with an extension contract with Edwin Diaz, who was “finished,” and giving Justin Verlander, a living legend with 250 wins, the highest annual salary in the major leagues.메이저사이트
Of course, it was not a reckless investment without a ‘back’. The Mets signed a short and thick contract with high-payers except for the ‘Rabbit’ to end after the 2024 season. It was the intention to try to ‘win’ somehow in the 2023-2024 season. But the Mets’ dream did not come true.
It was impossible to buy championships with money. The Mets formed one of the best powers in the major leagues, such as forming a one-two punch with the Cy Young duo of Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, but suffered from extreme sluggishness from the beginning of the season, and the results did not change over time. there was no In the end, even the hope of advancing to the postseason faded, turning into a “seller.”
As the trade deadline approached, the Mets parted ways with David Robertson, who served as the back door for the injured Diaz. And Scherzer, who won the Cy Young Award three times, also sent to the Texas Rangers, and even transferred Justin Verlander to the’parent’ Houston Astros, directly and indirectly declaring that he had given up the 2023 season.
Scherzer had no intention of leaving the Mets in the first place. He had a no-trade clause in his hands against his former club, so he could stay with the Mets if he wanted to. However, he decided to transfer after a meeting with Cohen’s owner and general manager Billie Fleur. This is because, in a conversation with Scherzer, they expressed their intention not to win the championship in the 2024 season, but to aim for the 2026 season. Verlander was the same.
At this point, the direction of the Mets is firm. After this season, it is expected that there will be no ‘big hand’ play in the FA (free agent) market. Rather than recruiting players classified as ‘big fish’, it is a position to recruit players who are not big in ransom to strengthen their power and challenge the championship in the 2025 season at the earliest and 2026 at the latest. Therefore, it is very unlikely that the Mets will participate in the recruitment of Shohei Ohtani (LA Angels). But there is an exception. This is a post by Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Orix Buffaloes).
After this season, general manager Eppler has already visited Japan several times to see Yamamoto, who is aiming to enter the major leagues through the posting system. Multiple media outlets in the US reported this in July. Eppler has a uniquely deep connection with Japanese players. He assisted in the recruitment of Masahiro Tanaka (now Rakuten) when he was assistant general manager of the New York Yankees, and Shohei Otani when he was general manager of the Los Angeles Angels. And this time, he has his eyes on Yamamoto.
Yamamoto is already a well-known figure to domestic baseball fans. In 2021, 206 strikeouts in 193⅓ innings in 26 games, 18 wins, 5 losses, an average ERA of 1.39, 2022 season, 26 games, 193 innings, 205 strikeouts, 15 wins, 5 losses, an average ERA of 1.68, winning 4 pitchers’ 4 crowns for 2 consecutive years in Japanese professional baseball. (most wins – winning rate – strikeouts – ERA), the regular season MVP, and even the Sawamura Award given to the best pitcher.
This year, Yamamoto is sprinting towards the third year in a row. Yamamoto is recording 10-4, 1.67 ERA with 114 strikeouts in 108 innings in 15 games. Currently, the winning percentage, most wins, and average ERA are ranked first in the Pacific League. And with a WHIP (on-base percentage per inning) of 0.89 and strikeouts against walks of 8.14, he is leading the Pacific League in various indicators.
The strikeout category ranks second after Sasaki Rocky (Chiba Lotte Marines, 130 strikeouts), but with the possibility of Sasaki being out of the season, it is only a matter of time before he regains the lead. If it is the current trend, a pitcher winning 4 crowns is a very powerful situation. The MVP of the regular season cannot be guaranteed, but Sawamura-san is also likely to return to Yamamoto if there are no surprises.
The American’The Athletic’ said, “It is expected that the Mets will be interested in a starting rotation on the level of Jose Quintana. Players who can sign short-term contracts that can always transfer the team ahead of the trade deadline if the team falls out of competition.” Although he predicted that he would not sign a big contract, he said, “If Yamamoto is posted, an exception may be made. Yamamoto will only be 25 years old in the 2024 season, and a pitcher of that age will never appear on the open market.”
That said, with the Mets leaving most of their major powerhouses this year, it’s unlikely they’ll be investing much money in player acquisitions for the 2024 season, but Yamamoto could be an exception.
Clubs that are currently showing interest in Yamamoto include the Mets, the Boston Red Sox, where Masataka Yoshida, a colleague from his Japanese days, and the St. Louis Cardinals, who need reinforcements in their starting lineup. Will the Mets really jump into Yamamoto’s scouting battle? If you face them with ‘Zhwan’, it seems unlikely that the Mets will be pushed.