MLB teams pull out all the stops to try and sign the biggest free agents on the market. The New York Yankees have long been high rollers and they aren’t afraid to shell out the cash for top-level talent.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the top pitcher available in MLB free agency and is expected to land a contract worth north of $300 million. The Yankees are one of the front runners to land him and met with the coveted pitcher earlier this week for a second time.

The Yankees upped their pursuit this time around and tried to find new ways to persuade Yamamoto to come to New York. One of those ways was in the form of a video message from Hideki Matsui, which was presented to Yamamaoto along with a signed jersey.

It is unclear what the reception was from Yamamoto upon receiving the video and jersey. It may very well come down to a bidding war for his signature, which the Yankees should be more than willing to get into. If it comes down to the extracurriculars, New York has as good a shot as any to land Yamamoto.

The Yankees can offer him everything he could want for his MLB career. New York would put him on the map and give him a chance to rival Shohei Ohtani if he lives up to the hype. Wouldn’t the Yankees love to have that sort of player at the front of their roster?

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Using club legends

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Hideki Matsui is a great person to bring in as reinforcement when trying to recruit free agents, especially Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Matsui is one of the most successful Japanese players in MLB history and is a potential role model to any Japanese player coming to the United States to play.

Yamamoto may have already had his sights set on the Yankees, but it didn’t hurt New York to utilize a former player to try and persuade him. Matsui of course obliged as only he could and the Yankees hope it will help them land the biggest gem on the pitching market.