With the New York Mets seemingly out of the running for Shohei Ohtani, Kodai Senga is gunning for the team to sign a different countryman instead.
Andy Martino of SportsNet New York reports this week that the Mets righty Senga has “made it clear” that he would like the team to sign fellow pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto in free agency. Martino adds that the Mets are indeed “very interested” in Yamamoto, who will likely be posted soon by his current team, the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan.
Jon Morosi of MLB Network also noted on Friday that Senga has a “good relationship” with Yamamoto, whom he has pitched with before on Japan’s national team. The idea of being able to pitch as part of a six-man rotation with Yamamoto in the mix is something else that reportedly appeals to Senga too.
The 25-year-old Yamamoto, a two-time Pacific League MVP and five-time NPB All-Star, could be the most coveted non-Ohtani free agent this MLB offseason. Over seven career NPB seasons, Yamamoto is a combined 70-29 with a glowing 1.82 ERA and 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings. He helped lead Orix to a Japan Series victory in 2022 and then a runner-up finish in 2023.
With righties Senga, Tylor Megill, and Jose Butto plus lefties Jose Quintana and Joey Lucchesi comprising the Mets’ current rotation, the right-hander Yamamoto would have the potential to fit in like a glove with them. But it obviously will not be easy for the Mets to convince Yamamoto to sign, especially with some big rivals also interested in him.
