MLB Rumors: NL West Team Ruled ‘Out’ Of Yoshinobu Yamamoto Sweepstakes

Japanese standout free agent pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto has yet to sign, but the suitor’s list might’ve just narrowed itself down a tad bit.

Yamamoto, 25, has undergone several visits with teams across the league. That much we do know. There’s a bidding war expected to take place between the abundance of organizations interested in adding the right-hander, but word on the street is that the San Francisco Giants are “out.”

“The Giants have been told they’re out of the bidding war for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, per source with familiar discussions. They pushed hard but the expectation is that he will end up in LA or NY,” Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reported on Thursday.

Other teams linked to Yamamoto this offseason include the Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox, so there still isn’t a whole lot of clarity. All that’s known for sure is that Yamamoto has until Jan. 4 to sign with a Major League Baseball club. That still leaves plenty of time, granted on the clock, to weigh the handful of options on the table.

Yamamoto was first posted on Nov. 20 by the Orix Buffaloes of the NPB, triggering the outpour of interest from big league clubs looking to land the projected ace-caliber arm.

If the rumors are accurate, Yamamoto joins Shohei Ohtani as the second straight swing-and-miss from San Francisco’s front office this offseason in hopes of landing a highly-coveted free agent.

The Giants reportedly met with Yamamoto at Oracle Park when making their pitch.