The Philadelphia Phillies, who failed to reach the World Series for the second straight year, have retained Aaron Nola (30) and are showing strong interest in Yoshinobu Yamamoto (25).
The Philadelphia Inquirer, a local media outlet in Philadelphia, U.S., reported on Tuesday (Nov. 20) that the Phillies, who retained Nola, are still trying to sign Yamamoto.레모나토토
Earlier, the Phillies announced the signing of Nola on Tuesday. The deal marks the start of the free agency period. It’s a seven-year, $172 million deal.
It gives Philadelphia a top-tier starting lineup of Zach Willer-Nola through the 2024 season. It’s Philly’s biggest postseason push yet.
However, the Phillies don’t appear to be satisfied. They’ve signed Yamamoto to create a 1-2-3 starting lineup of Willer-Yamamoto-Nola.
If a Willer-Yamamoto-Nola lineup were to be finalized, it would be one of the best in the majors. The Phillies could even be considered the favorites.
The Phillies would need to spend well over $200 million to sign Yamamoto. They will also face stiff competition from the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets.
Yamamoto, who is looking to break into the major leagues after evaluating Japanese professional baseball, is already considered the biggest pitcher in the free agent market. That’s higher than Blake Snell and Nola.
A right-handed orthodox pitcher, Yamamoto has already dominated Japanese professional baseball by winning four consecutive Nippon Professional Baseball Awards and three consecutive Sawamura Awards. He has also thrown two no-hitters.
In 23 games this season, Yamamoto has pitched 164 innings with a 16-6 record and a 1.21 ERA. He struck out 169 batters. He won the Triple Crown and led the league in winning percentage.
He throws a four-seam fastball that reaches a whopping 160 mph and a splitter that reaches 150 mph. He also has a slider, cut fastball, and curveball.
It will be interesting to see if the Phillies, who preserved their power this season by signing Nola early, can add Yamamoto to the mix and build a strong starting rotation.