The Yankees and Mets weren’t the only team to lose out on Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Before the Yankees and Mets lost out on the Japanese star pitcher, the Giants were told they were out of the running for his services, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reported earlier Thursday evening.
Yamamoto ended up signing a 12-year, $325 million deal with the Dodgers, joining fellow Japanese star Shohei Ohtani.
The 25-year-old right-hander met with the Giants earlier in December at Oracle Park in San Francisco and had been told they’d be given “consideration,” The Athletic reported earlier this week.
When the Giants were out of the mix, there was an “expectation” that Yamamoto he would end up signing with Los Angeles or in New York, according to Pavlovic.
And Los Angeles won in the end.
The Post’s Jon Heyman reported the Yankees’ bid was $300 million, while Mike Puma reported the Mets has offered the starter a 12-year, $325 million contract.
The Giants have been told they’re out of the running for Yoshinobu Yamamoto. REUTERSThe Yankees met with Yamamoto and his agent Joel Wolfe in both Los Angeles and Manhattan, going as far as to include Hideki Matsui in a pitch video and giving the hurler a No. 18 — the same number he wore with Orix Buffaloes Yankees jersey.
The Mets, meanwhile, also met with Yamamoto twice, first when owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns flew to Japan before the winter meetings.
This past weekend, Cohen hosted Yamamoto for dinner in Connecticut that also had Stearns, manager Carlos Mendoza and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner in attendance, The Post’s Joel Sherman reported.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is considered to be the top free agent on the market. REUTERSOn Thursday, both The Athletic and Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Phillies made an offer in their “aggressive” pursuit of Yamamoto, but the club is not expected to be among the favorites to land him.
