(Nashville) New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns traveled to Japan before the Major League Baseball Winter Conference to meet free agent Yoshinobu Yamamoto and his family.
Cohen’s trip was first reported by The Athletic.
A 25-year-old right-handed pitcher, Yamamoto went 16-6 with a 1.21 ERA last season with the Orix Buffaloes of the Pacific League in Japan. In 164 innings of work, he struck out 169 batters and allowed just 28 walks.
Stearns said all teams interested in his services would eventually meet with him, but that this trip to Japan was a way to show Yamamoto what kind of organization the Mets are.
“Who we are, what we want to do and how we’re going to do it,” noted Sterans, who would not say whether Mets pitcher Kodei Senga, second in the NL rookie of the year voting, was on the trip.
Yamamoto is also courted by the Yankees. Their general manager, Brian Cashman, was on hand on September 9, when Yamamoto pitched a no-hitter against the Lotte Marines. The Yankees are scheduled to meet with the pitcher on Monday in California, the Associated Press learned from a person familiar with the matter.
In seven seasons in Japan, Yamamoto compiled a 70-29 record with an ERA. of 1.82. He set a Japanese playoff record with 14 strikeouts in a 138-pitch complete game against Hanshin on November 5.
