What’s The Catch?
Aside from every team in the country wanting him, The Athletic’s Will Sammon (Subscription Required) suggests that, regardless of the offer, he may want something only a few teams offer.
If, like Senga felt last offseason, Yamamoto covets the opportunity to play in a large market, the Braves can only suggest to Yamamoto that a team that's won every year for six years and is young enough to continue winning for years to come is a better option than one that hasn’t consistently won.
With Charlie Morton's future with Atlanta in doubt and the potential loss of Fried after 2024,
acquiring Yamamoto solves rotation issues for the Atlanta Braves now and in the future. He’s a free agent, so there’s no need to move prospects to sign him, and he doesn’t have a qualifying offer attached, so no draft picks are lost.
Make no mistake, all the usual suspects are in on Yamamoto. Brian Cashman flew to Japan to watch him pitch, as did Farhan Zaidi, and Andrew Friedman is undoubtedly considering him as well.
If he has his heart set on playing in a particular city and doesn’t mind waiting two or three years for that team to rebuild, no amount of money will change his mind. It won’t be an easy acquisition but he solves so many issues that it’s worth the Braves' time to roll up their sleeves and make a deal.