The Yankees are getting more face time with Yoshinobu Yamamoto while is in the world.
After the star Japanese right-hander dined on Saturday night at Steve Cohen’s Connecticut home with a Mets contingent, Yamamoto was set to satisfy with the Yankees again on Sunday, The Post’s Jon Heyman reported.
The second get-together comes almost per week after a Yankees group – including Hal Steinbrenner, Brian Cashman, Randy Levine, Aaron Boone and Matt Blake – visited with Yamamoto in Los Angeles.
The Yankees are removed from alone of their pursuit of the coveted free agent, with the Mets, Dodgers, Giants, Red Sox, Phillies and Blue Jays also making a run on the 25-year-old ace.
The crowded competition of big-market teams is poised to land the 25-year-old Yamamoto upwards of $300 million when all is claimed and done.
The bidding process is ready to accentuate this week, The Post’s Joel Sherman reported earlier on Sunday, with Yamamoto expected to finalize a deal before the brand new 12 months.
The Yankees already reeled in star outfielder Juan Soto in a trade earlier this month, but they’ve since turned their full attention to Yamamoto – the three-time winner of Nippon Skilled Baseball’s equivalent of the Cy Young award – in hopes of fortifying their rotation.
Signing him would likely push their luxury tax payroll north of $300 million, but they seem willing to make that plunge with a view to land a pitcher of his caliber and age.
The Yankees have scouted Yamamoto extensively, a process that included Cashman flying to Japan in September to look at him throw a no-hitter.
