LOS ANGELES — The Mets have interviewed Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the most coveted free agent pitcher in baseball history, for the first time up close and personal since he dined at Mets owner Steve Cohen’s mansion in Greenwich, Conn., in December. I was able to see it clearly.
On Friday night, Yamamoto showed the look of a future star at Dodger Stadium. Still, considering the Mets’ subsequent $325 million bid, his performance as a dinner guest was somewhat better than his performance as a pitcher for the Dodgers with a team he ultimately rejected.
The Mets hit a rocket late Friday night, winning 9-4 with four points (three earned) from the hottest hurler in free agent history. Yamamoto threw 72 strikes out of 99 pitches and had a season-high nine strikeouts. He made a nasty sales pitch, but it wasn’t enough. His record and ERA were exactly the same: 1 win, 1 loss, 4.50 ERA.
The Mets made their losing bid after Yamamoto dined at the Cohen house (or at least a guesthouse; I’ve never been there, but I think there is one). They just showed us with a wink and a nod that they actually had a chance. But people in the know now say the bid was far higher than Yamamoto’s original target of about $200 million, and he had no intention of going anywhere other than his first choice, the Dodgers. Thing.
Although the team didn’t know about it at the time, the Mets did everything they could, including bringing Cohen and team president David Stearns to Japan. Still, it never felt like the Mets had a great chance.
After Yamamoto delighted the Yankees by sharing his knowledge of the history of pinstripes at a meeting, Yankees officials mistakenly thought they were the favorites for the championship.
Oh, maybe he’s just a history buff. Or a great actor.
As for his pitching, he’s had mixed results so far in baseball. He posted a 1.80 ERA in the middle three innings of his five starts, had a WHIP of 1.06 through Friday, and had 30 strikeouts against just five walks. However, the Dodgers have lost four of their starting five games. It was the first time he pitched six innings over five and allowed seven hits.
The Mets knocked him pretty hard. Hot-blooded DJ Stewart hit a home run, Starling Marte doubled, and Harrison Bader hit a double with three hits off Yamamoto (four hits in total), and the Mets hit Yamamoto with a liner and a long fly.
Yamamoto also showed glimpses of greatness. His fastball, splitter, and curveball all looked devastating at times. He has the ability, but he needs to make adjustments.
The situation is different here. The ball is bigger, travel is more difficult (three time zones), the schedule is more demanding, and frankly, the hitters are much better.
“He’s acclimating to the whole league, the schedule, the environment, and he’s doing a great job,” Dodgers president Andrew Friedman said before Friday’s opener. “He battled some mechanical issues early on. But he’s been in a really good place since then. Being closer and watching him work shows just how good he can be.” We are even more confident about this.”
No one can be wrong. And everyone wanted this guy.
The Yankees got $300 million, but stopped there. The Phillies reportedly outbid the Dodgers for the deal, which was $325 million. In addition, he had two teams earn his $300 million. This also excludes the $50 million publication fee and additional taxes. The Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees — three of the six highest bidders — are in the highest tax bracket, the fourth tier, the so-called Steve Cohen 110 percent tax.
He was pretty good on Friday, but he’s going to have to get even better at this rate. He’s one of those teams where the Dodgers can afford to make mistakes, but he makes very few mistakes.
“He’ll be fine,” says one National League scout. “He’s learning the hitters and getting used to the aggression when he knows hitters fill the strike zone. Most of his work has been in the dome, so he’s getting used to that element. But… I don’t have to worry about him because his attention to detail is second to none.”
Back in the winter, there were only a few opponents among the many supporters. One couple questioned this order. Some criticized the competition. A few also mentioned that he is slightly right-handed, but that’s not what scouts are looking for. No one important was listening.
One intrepid AL scout said he only saw Yamamoto as a No. 3 starter, but that certainly didn’t sway him (his team made a bid of over $300 million). was one of six teams).
Only a fool would bet on the Dodgers, who are more consistently right than anyone else. And remember, this was a near-unanimous bet. Every team that could afford to try and outbid the biggest teams in baseball did so.
The team liked his age (25), but he was so much more than that. He was praised for his composure, he was praised for his aptitude, and he was praised for his things. People will be shocked if he doesn’t become a star.
“He’s really talented, young, and has the right mentality to continue to grow and get better,” Friedman said.
The Dodgers are certainly counting on that.
