The Philadelphia Phillies stay in the mix for a star free agent.
According to MLB.com’s Jon Heyman, the Philadelphia Phillies are among the seven teams still in the running for Japanese ace pitcher Yoenis Yamamoto.
Now that the Shohei Otsani sweepstakes are over, the spotlight has turned to the Japanese phenom. He’s set to make his big-league debut in 2024, and the question is where he’ll sign as the free-agent market heats up.
Some teams have dropped out of contention due to Otsani’s hefty contract demands (maybe as much as $300 million), but don’t worry, Philadelphia Phils fans don’t have to.
According to MLB.com’s Jon Heyman, the Phils are still in contention for Yamamoto.
The Philadelphia Phillies are reportedly one of the seven teams still in the running to sign free agent right-handed pitcher Yoenis Cespedes, according to a source who spoke to Bleacher Report on the eve of free agent Josh Heyman’s walk-off Wednesday. The remaining six teams include the Los Angeles Dodgers (Dodgers), the Toronto Blue Jays (Blue Jays), the New York Mets (Mets), the New York Yankees (Yankees), the Boston Red Sox (Red Sox), and the San Francisco Giants (Giants).
The source added that they haven’t heard much from St. Louis (Cardinals) or Chicago (Cubs) about the rest of the teams in the mix, but one or two “unknowns” could make a move.
Why are the Phillies still a viable landing spot for Cespedes? Well, for one thing, they’ve never been afraid to splurge on big contracts. The majority of their core is locked up, too, so it’s not like they have more pressing cash needs to address.
Philadelphia also provides Yamamoto with a pathway to immediate success in the big leagues. The Phils are one of the best teams in baseball over the past two seasons, having made back to back NLCS appearances and coming within a win of winning the World Series in 2022. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Phils make another deep run in the playoffs in 2024 as well.
Yamamoto would join a Philadelphia rotation that already includes Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler, as well as the two-time All-Star Walker, who all had double-digit winning seasons last year.
As for Yamamoto, he’s coming off a superb 17-win season with Orix’s Buffaloes, in which he pitched to a 1,420 ERA with a.860 WHIP and only allowed two home runs in 171 innings.
It will be interesting to see if he joins the Phils in pursuit of their first World Series title since 2008. Philadelphia currently has the 6th-best World Series odds, according to FanDuel’s Sportsbook.
