During a podcast interview with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said that his club has been scouting and “continuing to do our work on” two of the offseason’s biggest international targets — ace right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto of NPB’s Orix Buffaloes, and star outfielder Jung Hoo Lee of the KBO League’s Kiwoom Heroes.
At least 10 MLB teams are known to be scouting Yamamoto already, with the Giants joining a list that includes (and certainly isn’t limited to) the Phillies, Mets, Cardinals, Cubs, Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Rangers, Tigers, Yankees, and Red Sox. The appeal is obvious, as Yamamoto has a 1.82 ERA over his seven seasons and 897 innings with the Buffaloes, and he should have plenty of prime years left since he just turned 25 years old in August.
Zaidi described Yamamoto as “one of the top starting pitchers in the world,” praising the right-hander’s “tremendous combination of athleticism, stuff and command….It just looks like he’s got plus stuff and he’s sort of putting every pitch where he wants to, which in this day and age where we’re so worried about pitch characteristics and velocity, it’s almost different to see somebody execute at that high of a level with good stuff. A lot of positives there, and he’s been an impressive guy to watch.”
MLB Trade Rumors ranked Yamamoto third in our most recent power ranking of the 2023-24 free agent class, behind only Shohei Ohtani and Cody Bellinger. This makes Yamamoto in line to receive the largest deal of any full-time pitcher this winter, with Ohtani obviously a unique case due to his two-way abilities. The bidding for Yamamoto (and the posting fee to the Buffaloes) could put his total price tag close to $200MM, especially with so many big-payroll teams in the running.
The Giants’ payroll was roughly $196MM in 2023 according to Roster Resource, so while still a healthy amount of salary outlay, San Francisco remained below the upper tier of spenders. However, it wasn’t for lack of try to spend, as the Giants’ attempts to sign Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa both didn’t materialize, due to Judge re-signing with the Yankees and with the Correa signing seemingly all but finalized before the Giants backed out due to concerns over his physical.
With very little in the way of long-term payroll commitments and increased pressure to win after a pair of non-playoff seasons, the Giants figure to be aggressive this winter, which generally runs counter to Zaidi’s more measured approach to roster construction during his five seasons as PBO. As Pavlovic notes, Zaidi has shied away from longer-term contracts to pitchers (apart from the club’s extension with the homegrown Logan Webb).
During his end-of-season media conference just a few days ago, Zaidi said he wasn’t planning on targeting pitching depth in general this winter, as he feels San Francisco already has plenty of veteran pitchers and younger arms coming up from the farm system. That said, Yamamoto is far more than a depth option, and his youth and obvious talent have seemingly made the Giants comfortable in exploring the possibility of what would be far and away the biggest contract (let alone a pitching contract) of Zaidi’s tenure.
Lee doesn’t have Yamamoto’s high profile and he’ll come at a significantly lower price tag, but Lee could very well land a healthy contract himself during an offseason that is generally short on premium free-agent position players. Like Yamamoto, Lee is also 25 years old, would be subject to a posting fee, and has impressed observers over seven seasons of international ball.
Lee has hit .340/.407/.491 over 3946 career plate appearances for the Heroes, with 65 homers and 244 doubles. His resume includes KBO League MVP honors in 2022, five KBO Gold Gloves for his defense (mostly in center field), and a standout performance for South Korea’s team in the last World Baseball Classic.
The hitter-friendly nature of the KBO League can sometimes make it hard to fully evaluate a player’s statistics, and Lee is also coming off an injury-shortened 2023 campaign due to a fractured ankle. However, Lee is expected to be healthy, and his skillset offers plenty of intrigue even beyond his batting potential. Since improving the defense is a stated goal for Zaidi this winter, adding Lee as San Francisco’s new regular center fielder would allow for Mike Yastrzemski or Austin Slater to play in the corner outfield slots. Former top prospect Luis Matos projects as the Giants’ 2024 center fielder for the moment, but with Lee on board, Matos could be eased into the big leagues in more of a part-time role.
Hire Shinjo to be the manager and your odds of landing Yamamoto and that other Japanese fellow who is the best baseball player on the planet go up dramatically.
Ronald Acuna is Japanese holy crap
I do appreciate your love for Acuna, as you seem to really like him, a lot a lot, but Ohtani and Betts have higher WAR (wins above replacement) then your interest. Looks as if the only thing that is holding back your man from being number one is his defense (against Betts) and that he doesn’t pitch very well (Ohtani). Maybe try again next year when Ohtani will only be DH’ing.
WAR is stupid
Haha.. Or is it just too hard for you to understand how it works?
Stupid people don’t understand WAR.
Good for “absolutely nothing”
Huh? Good god
A lot of people have very good reasons to complain about Farhan
What is it good for? Absolute nothing? Say it again?
That damn song has been impregnated into my brain all day. Thanks.
Then all they need to do is find 24 other baseball players that speak Japanese.
If only there was someone they could hire to translate to make communication easier. That could be a huge business. We could call the people “translators” and they can be the communication bridge between people that speak different languages.
Call me crazy, but I honestly think this idea could have legs.
You kids are so serious about the wrong things, and are unable to comprehend the issues that are important so people walk over you.
Thinking that every person on a baseball team doesn’t need to speak the same language makes me “so serious”? Sounds like you can’t understand a language barrier in professional sports has been a non-issue for decades.
You are the one focusing on unimportant issues. That is probably why nobody takes your opinion seriously. Go shout at cloud or put an onion in your belt, since that was the style at the time.
Hahaha, “Big Boss” Shinjo would be great fun in SanFran.
As for Yamamoto and JH Lee; they are small compared to their MLB peers. Each is under 6ft and weighs about 170lbs. Ohtani and Darvish, on the other hand, those are big guys…
tonyinsingapore: What difference does it make how tall a pitcher is and how much he weighs? Tristan McKenzie looks like he weighs about 100 pounds but he throws pretty hard. I know he’s tall, but Chris Sale isn’t but I hear he’s also pretty good.
Lee is listed at 6′-0″. Seiya Suzuki is listed at 5′-11″.. Ichiro was also listed at 5’=11″. And the Red Sox didn’t seem to have a problem with Yoshida at 5′-8″.
The kid Kim on SD is also too small to play in the MLB. When SD cuts him, I’d advise the RS to take a flyer.
Those sure look like good minor league numbers. Both should be top 10 prospects for next season. I guess this is what Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford would get on the open market (including posting fees)!
The problem with articles like this is, if the Giants fail to land Yamamoto, some critic will complain that Zaidi didn’t live up to his promise to sign him.
That’s accurate though. It’s his job to close the deals. So if he’s got the funds but can’t get it done – the responsibility falls on him. Like in the judge signing.
whiffa, it sure seemed like Judge was just going to use the Giants’ best offer to maximize his contract with the Yankees.
Only if someone misread the article. Or if they just were looking for a reason to complain, which a lot of people are.
gbs42,
Anyone can occasionally misread. The latter part of your post is exactly my point. I’ve seen several posts complaining about Zaidi because he supposedly promised to sign Judge.
That’s what you get when people see things through a prism of hate. Everything word is exaggerated and misconstrued.
So these two guys are the plan B after Ohtani & Bellinger ?
Either pair works for me but can’t get my hopes up, simply because I’m a Giants fan.
Any player should be wary of making a deal with the Giants after their debacle with Carlos Correa last year. Carlos says hi.
Same goes for the Mets too then right? I doubt they care about what happened to Carlos. I’m sure they care about money.
angelscamp — Why was it a “debacle?” He failed a physical, Giants decided to move on. I’d think an Angel’s fan would know a debacle when he sees one.
The Giants medical staff did a stellar job there. They took all sorts of stick for it, but it was absolutely the right thing to do.
Ha ha. Same. The ride Judge took me on hurt quite a lot. I think I might downgrade the emotional investment this year.
It was my understanding that only 3 teams GMs had scouted Yamamoto in person.
That sounds about right. I assume Mets and Red Sox didn’t because their GMs are gone, so they probably had more immediate issues to attend to during the season like saving their jobs. I doubt the Yankees, Phillies, and Cardinals GMs did just because they don’t seem like the type of GMs to scout players and rather just rely on their staff.
Eppler did, but he stepped down today. Probably takes them out of running.
Preller and Dipoto also.
It was my understanding that only 3 teams GMs had scouted Yamamoto in person.
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Do you need a GM to scout a player? I would assume that the top-tier hitting and pitching scouts would likely do a better job.
With top Japanese players, yes. Its about their culture and respect.
Look at the top players to come over from Japan. All signed with a team whose GM built a relationship with the player in person before they signed there.
Yamamoto has better NPB numbers then Yu Darvish. ‘Nuff said. Don’t need a GM to see that.
Its not about numbers. Its about relationships. Its about respect.
Not building that relationship means that NPB player will just sign with another team that did take the time and effort to build one.
Giants will sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto to 250 million contract and use him as an opener
If I am GM with lots of money to spend, I would rather sign both Yamamoto and Blake Snell combined than Ohtani.
Neither can hit. Ohtani is one of the best hitters. Without pitching another inning he gets the same AAV as Judge over a longer deal.
Baseball is life
I agree Ohtani will get that money he can hit and he is great for marketing
But I would rather get both Yamamoto and Snell, have two elite pitchers, and replace Ohtani with a cheap bat like a JD Martinez, Rhys Hopkins or Jorge Soler.
I would rather get both Yamamoto and Snell, have two elite pitchers
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I agree, and it is not close, though different teams have different needs. As a RS fan, I’d sign Yamamoto & Monty before even considering a single bat.
Martinez, Hopkins, and Soler can’t replace Ohtani’s production. But they can fill his roster spot. The Dodgers do need starting pitching more than hitters.
The Mets will sign Yamamoto. I think Senga and Cohen’s $$$ will draw him.
While quite possible, I find it a bit ironic that you’re posting this on this article. This scandal will sway all the FAs to come to Queens!
Nevermind. My phone borked and gave me the wrong article. I’m the fool here. Nothing new.
They do have a recent history of buying prospects, so that would make sense.
But they just sold off Scherzer & Verlander. It would be at least a little strange to invest a gazillion, then pay a gazillion to have someone take them off your hands, only to re-invest the gazillion.
Those two are basically 40 years old, apiece, though. Investments in them from here forward are season to season, and the Mets were out of it by the deadline, so it made sense to cash them as assets. Spending for a more long term goal is a different scenario.
As has every other team if they knew what they were doing.
Nothing new here.
Giants have the money, and aside from Webb and Cobb, they could use another pitcher in the rotation.
Cobb is a question mark after that injury. Have to wait and see if the giants exercise the team option on him. Right now is just Webb and Harrison in the rotation.
How about Trevor Bauer?
Dunno why anyone thinks that he would be any good. Gone too long
I doubt it. As much as I feel for the guy in terms of damage to his personal reputation, it doesn’t negate the fact he used his sideline platform to be a vocal, antagonistic, polarising critic of the game. The content producer at Bauer Outage made some really poor decisions. I think he might stay exiled for a little while yet.
Dodgers come like ghost out of nowhere and sign Yamamoto to a whopping 8yr/175 million contract. With Kreshaw on the market and 38 million off the books, plus Cody on the market, Dodgers need to get younger again. What better way than to do it with Yamamoto? The next Kreshaw in Dodger blue!
I am curious how the Dodgers fill “their voids” this offseason. I still think losing Turner hurt them more than they expected. They have a glaring hole at SS and (potentially) losing Cody, who do they bring in and who steps up within their farm system? With Kershaw, if I was him, I’d sit out for half the year and sign in July with a contender. Guy is 39 yrs of age (next season) and has nothing else to prove at this point. If he returns to the Dodgers for their push for another World Series, great for him and the Dodgers….. again. This is where I think Yamamoto would be an excellent sign so Kershaw and rest a bit longer while enjoying family life. Should the Dodgers be in the hunt for the West or wild card, sign in July (gets into game shape end of April with private workouts with LA trainers). Pitch 2 outings in AAA before joining the rotation after the All-Star break. Duo of Yamamoto and Kershaw down the stretch, could be phenomenal. Be almost as scary is Pedro Martinez/Curt Schilling duo in Boston.
What are you talking about???
Yamamoto and Kershaw? Did you evidently miss the breakout of Bobby Miller, or forget about Walker Buehler’s return?
Martinez and Schilling? They pitched just 2004 together and NEITHER was anywhere near their top form.
And who the heck is this Cody player LA is supposed to be losing?
What in the world are you taking about???
8/$175 for Yamamoto doesn’t seem extravagant.
Beamer, the Hedgehog, reknown ageist, should send me and Miggie over there to Asia.
They love country music.
None of the other teams would stand a chance.
Believe Giants scouted Judge n Correa too. Scouting is 1thing closing the deal is another.
Giants got out Bid for Judge and backed out from Correa because they didn’t like his heath for the duration of the contract! I love the Japanese Pitcher for a 7-8 year deal especially with Webb and Harrison being young and I’d like to get a power hitter and Hoskins would be a nice power and 1st combo and maybe another hitter! Yaz, Pederson should be gone
“Giants got out Bid for Judge…”
Yeah, by the Padres. But Judge didn’t take that offer either. The deal he did accept was the same as what the Giants offered. So. they didn’t get outbid. Judge just chose to stay with the team he’s always known and apparently where he’s always been comfortable
Padres will sign both Yamamoto 10 years 200m and also lee 5 years 50m.
Not if they’re trying to stay under 200 payroll like they stated.
Balk, they didn’t state that. A writer claimed that and was shown to be wrong.
Pretty sure “it wasn’t for lack of try to spend” isn’t proper English.
Giants need a +500 season and go deep into the postseason next year or Zaidi is gone. Moneyball ain’t never won it all.
The Yanks need to be players here. Just adding an above average everyday player and #3 starter who are healthy would go a long ways on this broken down roster.
Zings about says all the nice things about Yamamoto but will he aggressively do what it takes to sign Yamamoto?
Zaidi said last year ‘we will get better defensively and be more athletic and speedy. None of that happened, and again this year the same story, we need to vastly improve our defense (most errors of any team) and increase our speed (lowest total of SB of any team), he has failed in every aspect of building a winning team.
Zaidi has to make big splashes this off-season or he will be following Kapler out the door.