December 19, 2023
Yukihito Taguchi/USA TODAY Sports
The Phillies are going to take their shot at landing Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Baseball stuck itself in a holding pattern waiting for Shohei Ohtani to make his decision, but now that he has (opting for the Dodgers), the floodgates haven't exactly opened yet.
A number of names are still out there, and while the Phillies have been relatively quiet since re-signing Aaron Nola, they appear to be far from inactive, with a stake in the game for one of the biggest free-agent arms still available.
Here's a rundown of where the Phils seem to be at right now...
There's a lot of expected competition for Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but the Phillies appear to be lining up to take their best shot at landing him.
The organization met with the 25-year old righthander last week, and had Bryce Harper get involved in the pitch via a FaceTime call. And as concrete contract offers begin to pour in, The Philadelphia Inquirer's Alex Coffey reported that the Phillies intend to stay "aggressive" in the pursuit of one of the free-agent class' top arms.
That's far from any guarantee though, especially with the endless spending power of the Yankees and Dodgers reportedly in the mix.
The Phillies' rotation wouldn't be left in any severe need if he signs elsewhere either, as Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suárez, and Taijuan Walker still present a solid 1-4 rotation – though one that could stand to use an upgrade come next trade deadline depending on how 2024 plays out by that point.
However, Yamamoto would also be a major gain for the short- and long-term health of the club, keeping a dominant (and young) arm in the rotation for years to come.
The Chicago Cubs still seem to be in play for Rhys Hoskins and present a logical fit for the power-hitting first baseman.
However, the Seattle Mariners might be in the running now too, per MLB Network's Jon Morosi.
"If [the Cubs] keep waiting on Hoskins, they might miss him too."@jonmorosi joins #MLBNHotStove to give insight on the market for Rhys Hoskins and reports surrounding Twins trade possibilities. pic.twitter.com/R19fHE7ylI
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) December 18, 2023
The Mariners missed the postseason and then bled some pop this offseason with the trades of Jarred Kelenic and Eugenio Suárez, coupled with the likely free-agent departure of Teoscar Hernández. So there is a fit in the lineup for Hoskins though not exactly one in the field as Ty France is still there at first base.
The Phillies are in on Yamamoto, but even if they don't land him, the pursuit alone could still carry the benefit of establishing themselves within Asian markets, an area of scouting that the organization has never had much history in before.
Improving the Phillies' reach with scouting in Asia has been a concerted effort for the front office since Dave Dombrowski took over several years ago, per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, and the hope is that with more scouts set up in Japan, Taiwan, and Korea, the Phillies will have that many more options available to them.
The immediate one could be Yamamoto, but if not, Rosenthal believes that the Phillies could then turn their attention to fellow Japanese left-hander Shota Imanga – a 30-year old who posted a 2.66 ERA and a 10.6 strikeouts per nine rate for Yokohama in 2023 – or right-handed reliever Shintaro Fujinami, who struggled for much of last season with Oakland (who didn't?) before helping push the Orioles to the postseason and the AL East crown after getting dealt to Baltimore ahead of the late-summer trade deadline.
The Yamamoto domino looks like it will have to fall first before they get there though.
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