Phillies Pulling Out All the Stops to Land Yamamoto
The sweepstakes to land the Japanese superstar are still on going, and the Phillies are right in the thick of it.
The Yoshinobu Yamamoto chase is still on in Major League Baseball free agency and the Philadelphia Phillies are still a team in pursuit. The Phills find themselves in the hunt along with the New York Mets, the New York Yankees, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and other potential suitors. The Yankees have made a splash with Juan Soto and the Dodgers have already landed Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow. Now the Mets and Phillies are looking to make a big move.
Losing out on Yamamoto would hurt the Phillies, no doubt. But losing out to the inner-division Mets would be detrimental to the vibes of the ball club. There is one man on the roster that understands this and is taking matters into his own hands.
Phillies News: Bryce Harper FaceTime’s Yamamoto For Free Agency Pitch
The Phillies had already landed a meeting with Yamamoto to pitch him the idea of coming to Philadelphia. Jon Morosi is reporting now that part of that pitch included a FaceTime call between Yamamoto and Phillies star outfielder and unofficial team captain, Bryce Harper.
This should give a lot more of a personal touch than a more stuffy, official team meeting. Few players bleed their cities colors the way that Harper does for Philly, and that passion should have a chance to shine through in a one-on-one conversation.
How this compares to Yamamoto’s other meetings, no one can be sure. But we do know that his meeting with the Dodgers included in-person visits with Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and newly acquired and the previously mentioned Ohtani.
That is a lot of star power to compete with, but it’s also a lot of spotlight to share.
Yamamoto could come team up with Harper in Philadelphia to help lead this team, that which already seen come so close to a World Series championship. It’d be quite the narrative shift to take down the “unbeatable” rather than be a part of it.
