MLB rumors: A dark horse contender for Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s expected timeline after posting

As expected, Major League Baseball news the past few days has been slow. Now that we’re past Thanksgiving, the expectation should be that things pick up here in the next few days. Generally speaking, the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is when the most player movement happens. 

With the hope that the deluge of transactions happens soon, let’s dive into today’s news and rumors. 

Braves a dark horse for Ohtani? 

We’ve heard plenty about several teams in connection with two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers are thought to be the favorite while the Cubs, Mets and Rangers have been heavily connected. The Blue Jays have been mentioned as a sleeper candidate and, of course, the Angels would love to bring him back. Jon Morosi of MLB.com throws another sleeper team into the mix: The Atlanta Braves. 

When asked for a “dark horse” team, Morosi mentions the Blue Jays and the Braves, saying they “appeal to Ohtani from a competitive perspective.” 

The Braves have won at least 100 games in back-to-back seasons after taking the 2021 World Series. They have a strong foundation of young talent and money to spend. It certainly makes sense that Ohtani would have interest. 

Timeline for Yamamoto signing

NPB ace and three-time Sawamura winner (the equivalent to the Cy Young) Yoshinobu Yamamoto has officially been posted and can sign with any MLB team. It’s difficult to know how the process will unfold, but SNY reports the following expected timeline: 

[He] will begin meeting with interested teams via phone or Zoom next week, as he is expected to travel back to Japan, according to two league sources briefed on his free agency process.

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According to those league sources, Yamamoto will narrow down the teams after those initial remote meetings. He will then return to the United States to meet with finalists in person after MLB’s Winter Meetings, which take place from Dec. 4-7 in Nashville.

He has until Jan. 4 — 45 days from posting — to sign with a team, but is not expected to require that much time.

As for what teams will be involved, it’s basically any team with pitching needs and even slightly deep pockets. Yamamoto’s agent has publicly stated that around a dozen, or more, teams have been in contact. Among the teams we’ve seen reported to have interest are the Yankees, Mets, Cardinals, Phillies, Blue Jays, Giants, Red Sox, Dodgers and Diamondbacks. 

In 24 starts last season in Japan, Yamamoto was 17-6 with a 1.16 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 176 strikeouts in 171 innings.