New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman gives a thumbs up after the conclusion of the Major League Baseball general managers’ meetings in Scottsdale, Arizona, November 9, 2023. (Kyodo)
Japanese pitchers joining and within Major League Baseball this winter have generated considerable interest for executives gathered for this year’s general managers’ meetings that ended Thursday.
Chief among those players are the free agency of Los Angeles Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and the impending assignment of Orix Buffaloes ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto in what is expected to be a seller’s market for starting pitchers.
Yamamoto, a 25-year-old right-hander measuring 178 centimeters tall, has won the last three Sawamura Awards as Japan’s most impressive starting pitcher, and has gone 16-6 with a 1.21 ERA in 164 innings this year .
Farhan Zaidi, president of baseball operations of the San Francisco Giants, speaks to reporters during the Major League Baseball general managers meetings in Scottsdale, Arizona, November 8, 2023. (Kyodo)
“There was a lot of talk around the game about the relative scarcity of pitchers who can go deep in games,” said Farhan Zaidi, president of baseball operations for the San Francisco Giants. “So when guys are available and can give you 150, 200 innings, there’s a real premium on that.”
Even though Ohtani doesn’t plan to return to the pitcher’s mound until 2025 after undergoing elbow surgery this year, demand for him will likely remain high, San Diego Padres general manager AJ Preller said.
“He (Ohtani) is incredibly talented,” Preller said. “From afar, seeing, knowing, hearing about the work ethic, what he does, the attention to detail, my guess is he’s going to come back (from elbow surgery) and doing really special things.”
Jerry Dipoto, president of baseball operations for the Seattle Mariners, said he expected Yamamoto to also be in high demand.
“He’s an exceptional talent,” Dipoto said. “He has played on the biggest international stages and had a great career in Japan, and someone is going to be very lucky to see him come and sit at or near the top of their rotation.”
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