The New York Yankees have been said to be planning a big move in order to improve their starting rotation.

Yosinobu Yamamoto, a star for the Orix Buffaloes, has been linked to New York numerous times this season, and the team is ready to offer the young star a hefty contract this offseason. According to Brendan Kuty of The Athletic, Yamamoto will get a contract worth more than $200 million. The Yankees may end up being the highest bidder.

“Many teams have been linked to Yamamoto, who recently turned 25 years old and is likely the best pitcher on the market not named Shohei Ohtani, Kuty said.”But the Yankees have been as much on him as anybody else, and when Yamamoto threw a no-hitter this season, GM Brian Cashman and special advisor Omar Minaya were there to witness it. The Yankees’ determination to pursue him vigorously was signaled by Cashman’s appearance.

Before the 2020 season, the Yankees guaranteed Gerrit Cole $324 million over the course of nine years. This contract will keep Cole in New York through his 37th year. It’s unlikely that a team will offer Yamamoto as many years of contract as they did for Cole, but they could try. Yamamoto is still young enough to be a mainstay in the starting lineup for the next decade.

It makes perfect sense for the Yankees to pursue Yamamoto, who has been mentioned as a potential acquisition on many occasions. With Cole and Carlos Rodón already in place, the addition of Yamamoto would immediately make the Yankees’ rotation one of the strongest in baseball. And at only 25, Yamamoto is the ideal investment for a starting pitcher. His lifetime ERA with the Buffaloes is 1.72, therefore he should be able to maintain that performance in Major League Baseball. There is a good chance Yamamoto will be wearing pinstripes in 2024, and his market will be huge this offseason.