The Red Sox will meet with Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the coming days, MLB’s Mark Feinsand reports.
With Shohei Ohtani signed to his record-breaking $700 million Los Angeles Dodgers contract, Yamamoto is the biggest star on the free agent market. He’s also one of the most promising talents to hit the posting system, coming off his third consecutive MVP and Sawamura Awards (their Cy Young equivalent) season in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league.
Boston has been linked to Yamamoto throughout the offseason and scouted him in Japan this summer. They also have a potential advantage on their roster; he and Masataka Yoshida were longtime teammates on the Orix Buffaloes. They also played together on Team Japan, and took home the gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. The Red Sox outfielder classified their relationship as a “close” one to the Herald in September.
However, the Toronto Blue Jays will also be meeting with Yamamoto this week, and after losing the Ohtani sweepstakes to the Dodgers in stunning fashion, will be highly motivated – and more than financially capable – to make a splash. Both American League East teams’ meetings are following their division rival New York Yankees, who saw him on Monday.
