Yoshinobu Yamamoto Free Agency Update: Mets hopeful in Japanese star's pursuit with Yankees and Dodgers in 'great position'

As the Yoshinobu Yamamoto trade saga continues to make headlines without any hint of a decision from the player, MLB Insider Andy Martino pointed to the facts of the case in the popular show "Hot Stove". As things stand at the moment, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees remain the favorites to sign the highly-rated Japanese star while the New York Mets are more of a hopeful candidate. However, Martino makes it clear that Mets owner Steve Cohen is ready to make a huge offer, which could convince Yamamoto to sign for them.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto is perhaps the most highly-rated pitching talent to ever come out of the Nippon Professional League in Japan. The right-handed ace is only 25 years old and has already established himself as the best pitcher in the country. He has pitched two no-hitters in the last two years, winning the Japanese Triple Crwon three times, the Pacific League MVP three times, as well as the Japan Series with the Orix Buffaloes in 2022.

Hence, when he was posted to the MLB market this year, several teams took an interest, with only Shohei Ohtani attracting more attention in the market. With the Ohtani deal now done, Yamamoto's trade saga has dragged longer than anyone expected as he returns to his agency in LA to make his decision. As a result of this prolonged uncertainty, there has been a lot of speculation and misinformation, which Andy Martino clarified on Tuesday's episode of "Hot Stove":

"Yankees and the Dodgers have always been in a great position on Yamamoto and the Mets I would classify as more hopeful. But Steve Cohen is in the process of making a very serious offer. Those are all facts."

New Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow makes his pitch for Yoshinobu Yamamoto

In a recent episode of the popular MLB show "Foul Territory", new Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow was asked how he would feel about potentially playing with Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

The former Tampa Bay Rays star responded by saying that they have the same agent, but he has no information about the Japanese star's ongoing negotiations. However, when asked to make a pitch to convince the young rookie, Glasnow said:

"You'd have the best life on and off the field... You'd get to play with Shohei Ohtani," among several other points.