"He doesn’t want Boston" "They shouldn't feel confident" - Red Sox fans are already giving up on their Yoshinobu Yamamoto dream

The Athletic reported on Wednesday that the Boston Red Sox feel confident in their pursuit of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but their fans are not convinced and refuse to get their hopes up.

The 25-year-old Japanese starting pitcher is the top free agent in the MLB market, with a host of teams in touch with his agent. Yamamoto is expected to make his decision by the end of the week and Boston fans made it clear over social media that they don't expect him to sign for them.

"He doesn’t want Boston," wrote one fan on Twitter.

"They shouldn't feel confident," added another.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been declared by several MLB experts as perhaps the most exciting pitching talent to come out of the Nippon Professional Baseball League in Japan. He is only 25 years old and has already won the Japan Series, three Japanese Triple Crown awards, the Pacific League MVP awards and several other individual accolades.

In short, he has dominated the league in Japan in his short professional career and is one of the most promising pitching talents to ever move to the MLB.

Yamamoto's free agency has dominated the MLB headlines for weeks now and the three teams who have come out as frontrunners are the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Yankees and the New York Mets.

However, several other teams like the Philadelphia Phillies and the Boston Red Sox have also met with him and made their offers. However, the Red Sox's recent spending pattern suggests that Yamamoto may be too big a catch for them.

MLB insider reports the SF Giants go 'all in' for Yoshinobu Yamamoto

While several MLB teams have lined up and had meetings with Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and his agent, one insider revealed the San Francisco Giants are also in the running.

Top executive Farhan Zaidi has long been in pursuit of the right-handed NPB star and has vowed to go all in as a statement of his intent. He is eager to prove that his front office can still compete with the big teams as a potential destination for big talents.