Latest Yoshinobu Yamamoto News Will Excite Red Sox Fans

Boston Red Sox fans are tired of losing, putting pressure on Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow to make some big offseason splashes. One name that the fanbase would love to see on the 2024 roster is RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who's Japan's latest baseball phenom.

Although the Red Sox and Yamamoto have been linked as far back as July, the club couldn't make a move due to the pitcher being under contract with Nippon Professional Baseball's Orix Buffaloes.

Fortunately, the latest news surrounding Yamamoto should excite a lot of Boston fans.

Red Sox Rumors: Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Baseball insider Mark Feinsand reports that the Buffaloes officially posted Yamamoto on Monday. For those unfamiliar with the term, "posting" is the transfer system between the MLB and NPB, leaving all 30 clubs with a 45-day window to sign the 25-year-old hurler beginning at 8 a.m. ET on Tuesday.

While some incoming foreign talent can be overhyped, that isn't the case for Yamamoto. The right-handed ace appears to be something special, going 75-30 with a 1.72 ERA and 0.915 WHIP across 188 career appearances with Orix.

In fact, The Athletic's Brendan Kuty even went as far as saying that Yamamoto might be the best Japanese pitcher to leave his country since Masahiro Tanaka did so in 2014.

The Red Sox will, surely, see a ton of competition for Yamamoto's services, but that doesn't make a deal less likely. After all, some sportsbooks had Boston listed with the second-best odds to sign the Japanese free agent as recently as one week ago.

While it isn't hard to see why the Red Sox would want his services, it isn't unfathomable to see why he'd want to move to Boston. For starters, the Red Sox are one of Major League Baseball's most storied franchises and are more than capable of putting together a World Series contender, especially with Chaim Bloom out of town.

Secondly, Boston has proven to be a welcoming spot to Japanese players over the years. The likes of Koji Uehara, Junichi Tazawa and Daisuke Matsuzaka each spent at least three years there without any issues.

That's not even mentioning how Masataka Yoshida, who left Japan before this past season, has made it clear that he not only enjoys playing in Beantown, but that he loves the fanbase, too.

""It was a real honor to play for the Boston Red Sox during my first season in the Majors and it was so exciting to play at such an amazing ballpark in front of the most passionate fans in baseball.""

- Masataka Yoshida

Yoshida's stellar review could go a long way toward convincing Yamamoto to join the Red Sox — especially when you consider that the duo spent six seasons together on the Buffaloes.

Only time will reveal if the Red Sox have an offer that's enticing enough for Yamamoto, who could ask for "more than $200 million" per Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci.

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