3 Free Agents the Red Sox Must Target This Offseason (and 2 to Avoid)
By Tyler Maher
3. TARGET: Yoshinobu Yamamoto
The Red Sox haven’t been afraid to splurge on international signings in recent years, going back to their splashy Daisuke Matsuzaka signing before the 2007 season.
They brought in Masataka Yoshida last offseason with positive results, so now they should go after his former teammate as well.
Yamamoto has been one of the best pitchers in Japan for several years now and only seems to be getting better. He’s 69-29 with a dazzling 1.83 ERA over seven seasons in the NPB, including 16-6 with a 1.21 ERA this year.
He’s only 25, too, so he’s just coming into his prime and should be a great pitcher for another 5-6 years at least. That’s the kind of pitcher you want to sign to a long-term deal, not some thirty-something whose arm is about to fall off.
Yamamoto will cost a fortune once you factor in the posting fee, but having Yoshida already on the roster should give Boston a leg up in negotiations. He can help recruit Yamamoto and make him more comfortable here.
International signings can be risky, but given his age and track record, Yamamoto looks like a slam dunk. Signing him would also make the Red Sox even more popular in Japan, helping grow their brand overseas.