“Yamamoto, with one exception”
The New York Mets, under the ownership of billionaire Steve Cohen, have spent a lot of money this offseason in their quest to win the World Series. Starting with an extension for closer Edwin Diaz, the Mets spent a whopping $700 billion, including giving 250-win living legend Justin Verlander the highest salary in the majors.
Of course, it was not a blind investment without a backstory. The Mets signed all of their big-name free agents to short, bold contracts that would end after the 2024 season. The idea was to try to win a championship in 2023-2024 somehow. But the Mets’ dream didn’t come true.
Money can’t buy a championship. The Mets assembled one of the best offenses in the majors, including a one-two punch in the Cy Young Award-winning duo of Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, but the team struggled mightily from the start of the season, a trend that hasn’t changed over time, and eventually turned into a seller with fading hopes of making the postseason.
At the trade deadline, the Mets parted ways with David Robertson, who had been filling in for the injured Diaz at the tailgate. They also shipped Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, to the Texas Rangers and sent Justin Verlander to the “parent” Houston Astros, directly or indirectly announcing that they had given up on the 2023 season.
Scherzer had no desire to leave the Mets in the first place. He had a no-trade clause in his contract, so he could have stayed with the organization if he wanted to. But after meeting with owner Cohen and general manager Billy Eppler, he decided to move on. In their conversations with Scherzer, they made it clear that they were not looking to win a championship in 2024, but rather in 2026. The same was true for Verlander.카지노
For now, the Mets’ direction is clear. They won’t be making any “big moves” in free agency after this season. Rather, they’re looking to add players that don’t cost a lot of money to build their roster and challenge for a championship as early as the 2025 season and as late as 2026. As such, it’s highly unlikely that the Mets will be in the market for Shohei Ohtani (LA Angels). However, there is an exception. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Orix Buffaloes).
Eppler has already traveled to Japan several times to see Yamamoto, who is looking to break into the major leagues through the posting system after this season. Multiple U.S. media outlets reported the news in July. Eppler has a history with Japanese players. As an assistant general manager of the New York Yankees, he helped acquire Masahiro Tanaka (now with Rakuten); as general manager of the Los Angeles Angels, he acquired Shohei Ohtani; and last offseason, he embraced Senga. Now, he has his sights set on Yamamoto.
Yamamoto is no stranger to Korean baseball fans. In 26 games in 2021, he pitched 193⅓ innings with a 206
