Details emerge on Yankees’ failed bid for Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Aug 14, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a New York Yankees hat and glove on the bench against the Atlanta Braves in the third inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees were one of the finalists to sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but apparently they weren’t willing to go the full distance to land the Japanese pitcher.

Yamamoto on Thursday decided to sign a 12-year, $325 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The New York Mets had bid that amount for Yamamoto, and the Dodgers matched it, which gave them the pitcher.

The Yankees could have gotten further involved potentially too, but they drew a line in the sand.

According to SNY’s Andy Martino, the Yankees put their limit at $300 million and didn’t go beyond that amount.

"It wasn't with the same aggressiveness that they pursued the Soto trade. They were at $300 million, but they weren't going to bid up from there. That tells you that they wanted him, but not beyond any reasonable doubt."@martinonyc joins @emacSNY on @Honda SportsNite to explain… pic.twitter.com/jG1UYUzuUf

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) December 22, 2023

In addition to the $325 million Yamamoto signed for, the winning team (Dodgers) will have to pay a $50.6 million posting fee to Yamamoto’s Japanese team (Orix). So the Dodgers are committing $375.6 million to sign Yamamoto.

The Yankees excited their fans when they traded for Juan Soto this offseason. Now their fans may be disappointed by the limit they put on their bidding for Yamamoto. But the Yankees obviously did not put that Yamamoto limit in place without a backup plan. They will likely pivot to other pitching options instead — ones that come for under $375 million.