One Of Baseball's Best Free Agents Hasn't Played A Major League Game Yet

I don’t understand why teams don’t rush to sign international free agents whenever possible. Sometimes, it may take certain guys years to develop and get to the Major League level, but you can sign guys for cheap and sometimes, they become stars. Players like José Altuve and Luis Robert are a prime example of that. But then you have the Japanese market. Over the last 20 years or so (probably starting with Ichiro), The influx of Japanese players that come to America has been pretty substantial. The greatest of them all has been Shohei Ohtani, who has not only lived up to the hype but exceeded every expectation that people had for him. But outside of Ohtani, this upcoming free agent class is not that incredible. The best free agent on the market may be another Japanese import by the name of Yoshinobu Yamamoto. 

Yamamoto’s numbers in the Japanese Western league are video game-like. He’s been the MVP of the league as a pitcher in back-to-back years, but his overall résumé is staggering. In 184 professional games, his ERA sits at a microscopic 1.76. He has a 72–29 record in his seven years of professional baseball. Remember he was 18 years old when he made his first professional appearance. Masahiro Tanaka, a huge pitching prospect coming out of Japan for the Yankees, has a career 2.61 ERA in Japan. Yamamoto’s numbers are probably more comparable to Yu Darvish, who put up a 1.99 ERA in Japan before signing with the Rangers. 

The ascension of Yamamoto isn’t a secret. He pitched seven scoreless frames yesterday, lowering his season ERA to 1.34. He’s only 25 years old. Several teams are already showing interest in him on the free agent market at the Major League level. Those teams include the Dodgers, Mets, and Red Sox. Only a big market team will be capable of signing this guy. He’s going to come with a high asking price.

These Japanese imports often tend to be boom or bust. They often have a lot of city miles on their arm when they arrive at the big league level, but when you look at the ones that have hit, like Othani, Yu Darvish, and Kodai Senga, they tend to be game-changers. With this upcoming free agent class being what it is, I think someone will dish out top dollar for this kid. He’s only twenty-five. He’s probably just now ready to hit his professional prime. Someone is going to get an ace in free agency.