All signs point to the San Francisco Giants going 0-for-2 in their attempts to sign a Japanese superstar this offseason.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the prized right-handed pitcher who is currently a free agent, has reportedly ruled out the Giants as a possible destination, per NBC Sports Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic. Yamamoto is expected to end up either in Los Angeles (presumably with the Dodgers) or with either New York team.

The rejection is another blow to the Giants in their bid to add star power to a team that finished fourth in the NL West with a 79-83 record.

The Giants pursued two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani doggedly, only to lose out on his signature. To add insult to injury, Ohtani ended up with their rivals, the Dodgers. Now, it appears that the Giants will swing and miss on Yamamoto as well.

Reasons Giants coveted Yamamoto

Yamamoto is the rare free agent that will provide whichever team he signs with with multiple years of what should be the prime of his career. Just 25 years old, Yamamoto has dominated the Nippon Professional Baseball in recent seasons. The expectation is that he will pitch at an ace-level in MLB.

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For three straight seasons, Yamamoto has led NPB's Pacific League in wins, earned run average, and strikeouts. If that sounds like a Cy Young-level talent, good call: Yamamoto has won the Eiji Sawamura Award, the equivalent award in the NPB, for three years running.

It hasn't been all doom and gloom for the Giants in their attempts to woo free agents, however.

San Francisco was able to ink outfielder Jung-hoo Lee to a a six-year, $113 million contract. Lee is expected to lead off for the Giants while providing elite contact skills and above-average defense in the outfield.