If there was a “Close But No Cigar” award for the MLB offseason, the San Francisco Giants would be in fantastic shape. In lieu of such an award, Wednesday introduced another painful entry in the Giants-Los Angeles Dodgers rivalry, this time authored by Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Yamamoto's agent Joel Wolfe said on Wednesday that Yamamoto “thought that San Francisco really reminded him of Osaka and thought it was a beautiful city,” per the Los Angeles Times' Dylan Hernández.
In a flattering sentiment/cruel twist of the knife, Wolfe added that “[i]f the Dodgers had not been pursuing him, there was a good chance San Francisco could have been his destination.”
Yamamoto's sentiment is just the latest in a number of swing-and-miss attempts by the Giants to lure a superstar to Oracle Park.
Yamamoto joins Ohtani in rebuffing Giants
Following 2021's trip to the NLDS (a series they lost to, guess who) the Giants have regressed in the previous two seasons. In an effort to keep pace with the Dodgers and San Diego Padres (as well as the Arizona Diamondbacks after 2023), the Giants have been rumored to be in on several big ticket additions, either through trade or free agency.
In particular, San Francisco was thought to be a real player for both Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani.
Of course, the Giants lost both to their in-state rivals, forcing the team to find upgrades elsewhere as the NL West powerhouse Dodgers keep improving.
It hasn't been all bad for the Giants. They were able to convince South Korean star Jung-hoo Lee to join them on a six-year, $113 million deal this offseason to play the outfield.
But Yamamoto's spurning is just the latest example of the strong pull the Dodgers have with free agents. And also how far the Giants have to go before they can sell themselves as a premier destination.
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