As the Yoshinobu Yamamoto sweepstakes enter the home stretch, the Red Sox remain in the mix, which represents a welcome return to normalcy.
They may not win the bidding, but it won't be because they hoped to land him at their price instead of his. While I can't confirm that they've offered over $300 million,
as has been reported elsewhere, that number fits with what I'm hearing about the team's interest.
For one, per multiple big-league sources, the Red Sox believe Yamamoto is the real deal and a true No. 1 starter. Perhaps that sounds obvious, but with the quality of play in Japan's top league roughly equivalent to Triple-A, it's never entirely clear how a player's game will translate.
In this case, the Red Sox believe in Yamamoto's arsenal, composure, and competitiveness. The analytical breakdowns of his stuff -- a mid-90s fastball, devastating splitter, and big, biting curveball -- dovetail with the scouting reports that suggest an elite, top-of-the-rotation pitcher. The fact that he's available at age 25 for nothing more than a posting fee – albeit a considerable one that could top $50 million – makes him the proverbial unicorn.
The problem is that Craig Breslow isn't bidding against himself. The Yankees and Mets
reportedly met with Yamamoto for the second time in New York over the weekend, and each is highly motivated to land the potential ace, who reportedly embraces the idea of pitching in the spotlight of a major market.