Could Yoshinobu Yamamoto be joining the Mets? All you need to know about Japanese pitching phenom

Yoshinobu Yamamoto is regarded as one of the best pitchers in Japan. The 24-year-old has grabbed the limelight with his stellar displays for the Orix Buffaloes in the Nippon Professional Baseball League over the past few seasons.

Amid Yamamoto's exceptional showings for the Buffaloes, he has grabbed the attention of several MLB teams. According to reports, the New York Mets are one of the eight teams that are closely monitoring Yamamoto, who could be in line to get a move to the Majors.

The Mets had one of the most unique selloffs before the trade deadline on Aug. 1 when they offloaded Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander along with outfielders Tommy Pham and Mark Canha.

However, New York Mets general manager Billy Eppler is planning to rebuild his team for next season and he reportedly has his eyes set on Yamamoto, who could join the team in the free agency. New York is looking to add reinforcements to bolster its squad for the 2024 campaign after letting go of some key players before the trade deadline.

As things stand, there could be a bidding war between a few MLB teams for Yamamoto in the free agency market. Reports suggest that the Boston Red Sox are also among the many teams who are in the hunt for the Japanese phenom.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto's stats in the 2023 NPB

Yoshinobu Yamamoto in action for the Orix Buffaloes

Yoshinobu Yamamoto is having another special season with the Orix Buffaloes in 2023. The pitcher has racked up 118 strikeouts and 16 walks in 115 innings pitched at a miserly 1.57 ERA with an impressive 11-1 record.

Yamamoto's displays have helped the Buffaloes to a 59-39 record as they sit pretty at the summit of the Pacific League, six games ahead of second-placed Chiba Lotte Marines.

Yamamoto is a five-time NPB All-Star, a two-time Pacific League Golden Glove Award winner and a two-time Pacific League MVP. He won the Japan Series Championship with Orix last year.