3 moves the SF Giants must make immediately after losing out on Shohei Ohtani

Sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Without question, Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the best starting pitcher available in free agency right now. He has multiple plus pitches, a track record of success, and guys this young almost never hit free agency. As a result, it is hardly surprising that observers are starting to think that he could end up getting $300 million this offseason.

For the Giants, the fit isn't exactly perfect. In an ideal world, the star they would want to prioritize landing would be a bat given that their offense had just a 93 wRC+ as a team in 2023. The Giants need to find runs somewhere, but no one should blame them if they see Yamamoto as an option that is too good to pass up.

Where the problem arises is that the rest of the league has taken notice of Yamamoto as well. The Mets, Dodgers, Red Sox, Yankees, and Cubs are all clearly targeting him along with the Giants and most of the league is going to be at least checking in to see how much it is going to cost to sign him.

Those are a lot of deep pockets to compete against, but the Giants can't afford to nickel and dime things when it comes to Yamamoto. Long-term deals for pitchers are always risky, but talent like Yamamoto's does come available often especially at 25 years old. At some point, San Francisco has to push their chips in and he is the guy to do it for.