The New York Yankees have landed their white whale, acquiring Juan Soto in a trade with the San Diego Padres. However even with Soto, the Yankees aren't prepared to stop their offseason spending.
New York viewed trading for Soto as a “must have.” As they pursue Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Yankees are viewing him in the same light, via Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
“Just as the Yankees needed Soto and there was no alternative, Yamamoto is almost in that same category,” Rosenthal said. “They won't necessarily get outbid, but they have a lot of competition.”
Yankees Yamamoto
The Yankees had AL Cy Young award winner Gerrit Cole on their roster. He held a 15-4 record with a 2.63 ERA and a 222/48 K/BB ratio. However, their pitching took a dive beyond their ace.
Only one other pitcher on the Yankees with 100+ innings pitched held an ERA below four. That pitcher was Michael King, who was traded to the Padres. The team has pitchers coming off on injuries such as Nestor Cortes and Carlos Rodon. But New York knows they need a bit more juice in their pitching rotation to make a World Series run.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto could be the fix to New York's problems. The right-hander is a three-time Pacific League MVP, Triple-Crown and Sawamura Award – given to Japan's best pitcher – winner. Yamamoto holds a 75-30 record with a 1.72 ERA and a 986/216 K/BB ratio over 188 games.
The Yankees reaffirmed their 2024 intentions when they traded for Juan Soto. But for their offseason to be complete, New York will take a full court press approach on acquiring Yamamoto.
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