"We were told that Stevie would outbid anyone" - Mets fans left disappointed as Steve Cohen fails to land highly-coveted Yoshinobu Yamamoto

New York Mets' pursuit of Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto ended in failure as the 25-year-old coveted pitcher has reportedly agreed to join the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Mets were understood to be one of the three finalists along with rivals New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. However, Steve Cohen failed to pursue the former NPB superstar to join their ranks.

The Japanese pitcher reportedly signed for the 2020 World Series winners on a 12-year, $325 million contract with the deal swelling up to $375 million, an additional $50.6 million to the Orix Buffaloes in posting fee.

Although Yamamoto opted to join the Dodgers, the team that recently acquired his compatriot Shohei Ohtani for a record-shattering sum, the Mets reportedly matched the Dodgers' offer for the starting pitcher.

Steve Cohen reportedly offered a 12-year deal, which was more than what the Yankees, 10-year, $300 million offered. Despite Cohen's offer for the Japanese ace, Mets fans feel that they could've gone all-out for their top target, outbidding the Dodgers to land Yamamoto:

Mets might turn to Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery after missing out on Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Steven Cohen flew to Japan to meet the Japanese star earlier this year in a bid to lure him to New York. Yamamoto also reportedly had dinner at Cohen's house last week, further indicating that the New York side was going hard in pursuit of the 25-year-old pitcher.

But as it turns out, the Dodgers were the favored destination for Yamamoto despite Cohen's various attempts to lure him. With Yamamoto signing for the Dodgers, the Mets might turn their attention to other top free-agent starting pitchers, namely Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery.

However, Cohen is likely to face stiff competition from rivals Yankees, who are also on the lookout for an arm to add to their rotation.