Yoshinobu Yamamoto is considered the best player in MLB free agency who's not named Shohei Ohtani. The Japanese hurler is attracting a ton of attention, including from the New York Yankees and the New York Mets, two teams who have always been expected to throw their hats into the ring for the chance to win the services of the star pitcher.

The Mets, with Steve Cohen as owner, have the financial capability to lure and pay a big-time free agent like Yamamoto, and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is very much aware of it.

“I don't know if anybody can compete with Steve Cohen, but he's a titan of industry,” the Yankees GM said (via Gary Phillips of NY Daily News Sports). “He's had a lot of success and built an empire, which has allowed him to do things like the Mets. Good for him and his family. I think we can just concentrate on what we're going to concentrate on. Obviously, if it's a player of interest, we'll compete for him and see where that takes us and it will be enough or it won't be enough. But that said, I think we do have a strong setup currently and we'd just like to add to it.”

In the previous offseason, the Mets were able to sign pitchers Justin Verlander and Kodai Senga. Although the Mets flamed out in the 2023 MLB season, that doesn't change the fact that they have the money to spend at any target — like Yamamoto.