At least eight major league clubs have been linked to Orix Buffaloes ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, MLB.com reported Sunday, after the Pacific League club accepted the right-hander's request for a winter move via the posting system.
The 25-year-old this year extended his Nippon Professional Baseball record of leading a league in four major pitching categories -- wins, ERA, strikeouts and winning percentage -- to three seasons.
MLB.com listed the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs as his potential suitors.
The Buffaloes lost the deciding Game 7 of the Japan Series on Sunday to the Central League's Hanshin Tigers. Yamamoto took the loss in Game 1, allowing seven runs over 5-2/3 innings, but won Game 6 with a performance in which he gave up one run on nine hits while striking out a Japan Series record 14.
Orix's fourth-round pick in the 2016 NPB draft, Yamamoto has a 70-29 career record with one save and a 1.82 ERA in 172 career games over seven seasons, all with the Buffaloes.
Yamamoto also helped Japan win the Olympic baseball tournament in 2021 and the World Baseball Classic in 2023.
The posting system allows Japanese professionals to seek entry to MLB. "Posted" players are able to negotiate with MLB clubs willing to pay their Japanese team a fee, based on the value of the player's eventual contract.
Once posted by the Dec. 15 deadline, Yamamoto will have 45 days to negotiate a contract with an MLB club.
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