It looks like the Yoshinobu Yamamoto sweepstakes is coming to a close, as it is anticipated that the right-hander will select his team this week or before the new year kicks in.

The teams that are reportedly at the forefront of negotiations are the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, and New York Mets. A few more teams are still involved, as are the San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox.

For the past two weeks, Yamamoto has been in Los Angeles, where his agent resides, meeting with prospective teams over the phone, on Zoom, and in person. During one of these meetings, he took a tour of Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers utilized the celebrity power of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith, and Bobby Miller to aid in recruiting at the meeting.

Although Ohtani’s attendance at the meeting was thought to have a favorable effect, Yamamoto ultimately decided to follow Miller on Instagram, according to Andy Martino of SNY:

Regarding the Dodgers, a source close to the player described Shohei Ohtani’s attendance at the team’s meeting with Yamamoto last week as “extremely significant.” The Dodgers are doing well as well.

Naturally, Ohtani and Yamamoto are fellow Japanese citizens. Together, they represented Team Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, winning the gold medal. It was reported that the two got along well during that period, which would ultimately help the Dodgers acquire the highly sought-after starting pitcher.

The 25-year-old Yamamoto is reportedly the Dodgers’ top goal scorer. The team hopes that his background as a fan will increase the likelihood of a deal being reached.

He has until January 4 to negotiate a deal, and this week is reportedly when the final bidding and negotiations are happening, based on several stories.

Bryce Harper was present when Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Phillies met.
The Phillies continued to be parties to the negotiations and presented Yamamoto with Bryce Harper as part of their free agency pitch. In an effort to entice players to come with the Phillies, Harper has also reached out to former Dodgers All-Star Trea Turner.