Yankees Use Red Sox Rivalry In Yoshinobu Yamamoto Meeting

The New York Yankees are among the teams vying for Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s services, and Aaron Boone on Thursday shed light on the meeting with the Japanese star pitcher.

The 25-year-old has until Jan. 4 to pick a team and is expected to sign a deal worth over $300 million, and fans this week clung to any little detail to figure out which team the right-hander will pick. The Boston Red Sox were among multiple teams to visit Yamamoto in Los Angeles, and they might have some advantages to lure the former Orix Buffaloes pitcher.

Yamamoto reportedly met with both New York teams during his trip to the East Coast, and Boone revealed details about how the meeting went.

“I gave him that jersey,” Boone told reporters, per The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty. “It’s his if he wants to keep it.”

New York handed Yamamoto a No. 18 Yankees jersey, which is his favorite number. The Yankees also played a video from franchise fan favorite Hideki Matsui, a move similar to Shohei Ohtani reportedly among the Los Angeles Dodgers contingent that met Yamamoto.

“Hopefully that stuff is things that matter and add up,” Boone said. “We’ll see.”

Boone called Yamamoto a “special dude” and spoke highly of the meeting with the coveted free agent. He also noted there was mention of the team’s rivalries with the Red Sox and Houston Astros, which seemed to affect the three-time Eiji Sawamura winner.

“You can see those competition things light him up a little bit,” Boone said, per SNY.

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Boone admitted it was above his pay grade to speak on the ongoing negotiations Yamamoto and his agent had with other teams. The Philadelphia Phillies are the only known team to submit a formal offer, as of Thursday afternoon.

The Red Sox aren’t completely out on the Yamamoto sweepstakes, but it will be a competitive battle to secure one of the top players on the market.