RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Japan
Probably the best pitcher on the planet to not yet be in Major League Baseball, the 25 year-old Yamamoto won the NPB’s equivalent of both the Cy Young and MVP last season. He’s a five-time All Star, three-time ERA champion, and twice won the Triple Crown. The previous record for a player signing from Japan is 5 years & $155M, by Masahiro Tanaka in 2014, and it’s about to get obliterated.
LHP Blake Snell, Padres
There’s belief that the Seattle Mariners are the team to beat for our sixth-ranked free agent entering the offseason, but many teams are in on the two-time Cy Young winner.
Here’s our bio on Snell (written before the Cy Young award was given):
Snell might win the NL Cy Young this season, which certainly would help his free agent case, but he’s not a slam dunk top-tier pitching option. He leads all of baseball in ERA (2.25) and ERA+ (182), but also walks (99) and walk rate (5.8). The 30 year-old ran an expected ERA (3.77) and Fielding Independent Pitching (3.44) both significantly above his ERA, so regression is undoubtedly coming.
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