In the last few days there has been a lot of talk about Shohei Ohtani in the autonomy market. While thousands of people were following a private jet towards Toronto at the minute yesterday, we were treated to quite a media eclipse in the world of baseball.
The Jays could have traded Bo Bichette for a pack of gum, and I think everyone would have continued to follow the private jet, which ended up being Robert Herjavec's.
That said, now that the dust has settled, we can look at what's happening elsewhere in the autonomy market. And in the case of another Japanese, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, we begin to have a better idea of the situation.
Because right now, as Steve Phillips points out, a battle is looming between the Mets and the Yankees for the pitcher's services.
Presumably, therefore, it is a safe bet that Yamamoto will head to New York. The two Big Apple teams want to sign him, and they each have good selling points.
For the Mets, Steve Cohen seems ready to pay top dollar, and the fact that Kodai Senga (a friend of Yamamoto) had a big 2023 season demonstrates to Yamamoto that he can aspire to success on the Queens side.
However, the Yankees also seem to be hungry. Hal Steinbrenner is ready to rise above the 'Steve Cohen tax,' and while the club will meet Yamamoto in the United States on Monday, Hideki Matsui and Masahiro Tanaka will be on hand to aid recruiting efforts.
We know that both guys are legends in Japan, which may work in the Yankees' favor.
Obviously, other clubs could muddy the waters (the Dodgers could be aggressive if they don't get Shohei Ohtani), but for the moment, it seems to be between the Yankees and the Mets.
So play your bets.
